Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray gives an update on Elliot Embleton's return from injury

Elliot Embleton will miss the start of Sunderland's Championship campaign but Tony Mowbray expects him to be back soon and in a good position to make an impact.

Embleton has not played any football for Sunderland after suffering a serious injury at Hull City in December of last year, shown a contentious red card for the challenge which ultimately left him with the problem.

The attacking midfielder was stepping up his recovery at the Academy of Light through the early stages of pre season and there had been some hope that he would be able to play some part in the final week before Ipswich Town's visit.

However, Mowbray has confirmed that the 24-year-old will not be available to face Hartlepool United on Tuesday night and will therefore be absent for the opening games of the season.

The issue is thought to be a minor one, though, with Embleton simply feeling some discomfort as he stepped up his running. There is no issue with the original injury, which gives Sunderland confidence he will be able to make a full return in the not too distant future.

"Embo is getting there," Mowbray said.

"We were going to take him to the US but we decided he probably wouldn't have played any games.

"He's had a slight setback, only a week or two, though, I think.

"He was feeling a bit of pain in the plate that had been inserted into his foot, and because he was feeling pain the surgeon decided to remove the plate because the fracture had healed.

"Now it is going to take a few weeks, maybe a month, for the scar of the removal of the plate to heal, but the fracture is OK so as soon as the operation side is sorted, he will be back playing.

"There's just a timescale when you take a plate out of your foot. The important thing is that the damage from the original break has healed.

"It will just be a matter of weeks, really, before Embo is back."

Defender Jenson Seelt was also missing from the squad as Sunderland played Real Mallorca on Saturday, but he is expected to be back in contention very soon.