The Sunderland AFC Q&A: Injury latest, key striker stances explained and ownership plans discussed

There are some big decisions for Tony Mowbray to make after a frustrating week, while Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has been busy representing the club in South America. So in our weekly Q&A we run you through everything you need to know about the current state of play...

WHAT'S THE LATEST ON ELLIS SIMMS - WHEN DO WE REALISTICALLY THINK HE COULD BE BACK IN ACTION?

At this stage it's thought highly unlikely that Ellis Simms will be back for this weekend's game.

Tony Mowbray's last detailed update came a week ago in the build up to 0-0 draw with Blackpool: "I’m hoping I’ll surprise you all in two or three weeks by saying Ellis is back training and you might see him on the bench, but at the moment, that’s not the case.

“We have to be cautious with him.

"If you picture the injury, it’s his big toe, it’s a ligament and it needs some time to settle down. I don’t think it’s a case of ‘strap it up, lock the bottom half of his foot solid, and just put it in a boot’."

As such, the expectation is that he will struggle to play a part in Sunderland's next week of three fixtures.

With Dan Ballard and Ross Stewart it remains as you were, both are likely to be back training just before the World Cup break but Mowbray is minded to give them that three-week period to get fully up to speed.

HAVE YOU HAD ANY SENSE THAT HAVE THE STRUGGLES OVER THE LAST WEEK MIGHT CHANGE SUNDERLAND'S VIEW ON SIGNING A FREE-AGENT STRIKER?

In the short term, I'd be really surprised.

Tony Mowbray said last week that his recruitment team had 'scoured the world' - his point essentially that they had looked at every possible target. Ultimately the view was that there was no player available right now who they felt could do a job in the short term and be part of the club's journey in the longer term.

If any player was to arrive in the medium term, it will be because the club feels they can complement Ross Stewart and Ellis Simms for the rest of the season and beyond.

The strong expectation is that Mowbray will have to find internal solutions up until the World Cup break, or possibly just before if Simms can get back to fitness. Ultimately the key is going to be maximising the talent of Amad, whether that's in developing his game as a central striker or by finding a way to pair him up with another option.

IS THERE ANY CHANCE OF SUNDERLAND TURNING TO MAX THOMPSON IN THE INTERIM?

Mowbray spoke at length last week about Thompson, recognising that a player who was trusted by Sean Dyche to feature in the Premier League is clearly someone worthy of consideration.

Sunderland paid a fee to sign him this summer and he's scored five goals in U21 football this season, so it's definitely a very fair question.

Mowbray has seen him in training with the first team, though not extensively. His verdict at the moment is that the youngster is talented but raw, and needs to develop his understanding of the position further. He did add that he would of course keep the situation under review and particularly if Sunderland continue to struggle in front of goal.

Mowbray's view is that putting him into such a high-profile position could damage his development if he doesn't yet have the skillset required to compete with Championship centre-halves. One thing you would have to say is that Mowbray has shown generally he is very willing to gamble on young players, so it's something he will have given serious thought to.

WHO DO YOU THINK WILL PLAY UP FRONT ON SATURDAY?

Mowbray has spoken about Amad's talent and he's trying to get the Manchester United loanee to work on being more ruthless when he gets into the final third.

While he didn't score, Mowbray will have been encouraged to see the youngster take on a lot more shots against Swansea City.

For Saturday it will be tough to look past Jack Clarke. He's not a natural but he's done it in the past for Spurs U21s and gives Sunderland the option to be a bit more direct when required by playing balls over the top of the opposition defence. He also pressed the Swansea defence well; it'll be a very different game on Saturday but Sunderland need a focal point.

I've written about Mowbray's options in more depth here, if of interest.

HOW DO YOU EXPECT TONY MOWBRAY TO MANAGE CORRY EVANS' SUSPENSION THIS WEEKEND?

It's a position Edouard Michut has designs on in the long term and he played 90 minutes there for the U21s on Monday night.

In the short term, I suspect Tony Mowbray is likely to turn to Dan Neil as Michut continues to acclimatise.

Mowbray came close to selecting Neil as the pivot for Blackpool's visit last Tuesday anyway, and so clearly feels he can do the job.

I've written about this in more depth here, if of interest.

WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF KYRIL LOUIS-DREYFUS' TRIP TO SOUTH AMERICA?

It was no great surprise as both Louis-Dreyfus and Juan Sartori clearly see it as a region where there is huge potential for the club in the longer term.

It makes sense that alongside head of recruitment Stuart Harvey they are keen to start building relationships with key figures at clubs in the region.

What will be interesting in the long term is to see if they look to bring any clubs into a group ownership model. Sartori has talked about it in the past and it was certainly an ambition of the previous ownership, but nothing ever materialised. It definitely seems to be something on the radar in the long run – and either way it’s very clear the pair want the club to have a presence in the region.