Sunderland handed multiple injury boosts after big training-ground reveal

Tony Mowbray's hopes of a deeper squad to select from after the current international break look to have been boosted after a number of players returned to training.

Bradley Dack missed the entirety of the last block of the Championship fixtures with a hamstring issue, while Pierre Ekwah was absent for the last five fixtures after suffering a recurrence of a dead leg against QPR. Ekwah subsequently suffered a hematoma that needed to clear before he could return to full training.

Mowbray and Sunderland took a cautious approach with both, eager to avoid either suffering a worse problem as a result of rushing back to action too quickly.

His hope had always been that they would return to full training during this fortnight period, clearing the way for them to return to the squad against Stoke City next weekend.

The sight of both on the training pitches this afternoon suggests they are on track.

There have been plenty of other encouraging signs for Mowbray on the Academy of Light training pitches, too.

Aji Alese and Eliezer Mayenda both returned to full training before the defeat to Middlesbrough, and have continued to step up their recoveries over the international break. Neither is expected to be in contention to start against Stoke City next weekend as Mowbray has made clear that they will need to build their match fitness in the U21 side before realistically being exposed to Championship football, but both should make their first appearances of the campaign across the next block of fixtures.

And there has also been positive signs for Mowbray with both Alex Pritchard and Dennis Cirkin pictured in training.

Pritchard should be in contention to face Stoke City after missing the last two games with a minor calf problem. Mowbray said before the international break that he did not expect Cirkin to be fully fit and in contention for next weekend's game, but his progress is clearly encouraging.

As of yet there has been no update on Niall Huggins, who was substituted in the first half of the Middlesbrough defeat with a muscle problem. Mowbray is likely to offer an update next week, with the full back currently being monitored by the club with the initial hope being that there is no significant issue.