Sunderland defender Niall Huggins on the brink of taking major step forward in injury comeback

Sunderland say that the versatile full back is in contention to play some part when the U21s face Reading at Eppleton in their first game of the Premier League Cup group stage on Friday evening (7pm KO).

Huggins has not played for Sunderland for over year, after initially suffering a stress fracture of the back. His comeback was then complicated significantly by stress fractures in both of his heels.

Head coach Tony Mowbray revealed shortly after his arrival at the club that he had previously come close to signing Huggins while in charge at Blackburn Rovers.

"I almost signed Niall at Blackburn Rovers, that's how much I like him as a player," Mowbray said.

"He is a bundle of energy, of drive and of passion.

"I would have signed him because when you manage a football club for working class people who want to see their players giving everything - well Niall Huggins is the epitome of that."

After such a long time on the sidelines Mowbray, as Alex Neil did before him, has stressed that Huggins will need a gradual build of training and match fitness before he can be realistically considered for first-team football.

But his return at U21 level would represent a significant step forward for the former Leeds United youngster.

The game will be Graeme Murty's second in charge after the 1-0 defeat to Leeds United on Monday night, a game in which a number of Mowbray's first-team squad were involved.