The Sunderland AFC Q&A: Injury update, contract plans, Amad and early January hints

It has been a busy period on Wearside, with a hectic deadline day followed by a remarkable 5-0 win over Southampton at the Stadium of Light just hours later.

So what's the latest at Sunderland AFC? What have we learned and what's next?

Phil Smith runs through the key questions....

Sunderland made four signings on a busy deadline day - are they happy with what they got or is there any chance of a move for a free agent?

While one of Sunderland's first steps after any transfer window closes is to further assess the free-agent market for any potential additions, Kristjaan Speakman has already ruled out any further movement on this front.

The arrivals of Mason Burstow and Nazariy Rusyn, as well as Adil Aouchiche, bolstered Mowbray's attacking options after Ross Stewart's departure and with Alex Pritchard staying, a loan to Derby County was sanctioned for Elliot Embleton.

The only position where Sunderland do have some potential issues with squad depth is in central midfield, but Speakman told The Echo that with Jobe Bellingham capable of dropping into a deeper position than he has primarily played this season, he was comfortable with the options in the squad.

With the transfer window now closed - should fans expect any further movement on contracts at the club?

Sunderland certainly hope so, though they of course got a significant amount of their renewal work done through the summer months.

The departures of Lynden Gooch, Danny Batth and Ross Stewart on deadline day now mean there are just three senior players in the final year of their contract: Patrick Roberts, Niall Huggins and Alex Pritchard.

Speakman confirmed to The Echo this week that Sunderland have opened talks with Roberts over the course of the summer months. They rejected a late bid from Southampton to sign Roberts as they have been thrilled with his progress and believe he has a big future on Wearside. The key question of course is whether, as with Stewart, the potential interest and likely significantly larger financial offers elsewhere down the line prevent those talks from reaching a successful conclusion.

Roberts is very settled and very happy at Sunderland, though, so there do remain grounds for optimism.

With Huggins, it's likely a decision to be taken by both parties at the end of the season when a better judgement can be made on his injury comeback and his prospects of regular football moving forward.

Though Pritchard's quality is undoubted, Sunderland's clear willingness to let him move in the summer window means an imminent renewal is highly unlikely. That could of course change depending on how he fares over the course of the season.

How is the injury situation at the club looking - who might we see back at QPR?

Sunderland are very hopeful that Roberts will back in action after his minor hamstring injury.

Jenson Seelt has been back in the squad in recent weeks following his ankle injury but has moved closer to competitive action after appearing for the U21s over the international break.

It's unlikely that Aji Alese or Eliezer Mayenda would be fit enough to be part of the squad at QPR, but both are making steady progress in their recovery from muscle problems and so should be able to add to Mowbray's options towards the end of the next block of Championship fixtures. Both will, like Seelt, need time and probably some U21 minutes.

Otherwise Mowbray's only other dilemma will be whether he brings any of his deadline-day signings into the squad. It would be a major surprise if Mason Burstow was not part of the squad, while Nazariy Rusyn, Adil Aouchiche and Timothée Pembélé could all be involved depending on whether they are able to train fully with the squad next week. The latter pair in particular will be short of match fitness as it stands.

Jay Matete and Corry Evans are longer-term injuries, unlikely to return until the festive period/new year.

What are the early indications about where Sunderland stand ahead of the January window?

Sunderland invested through a number of fees over the summer but also recouped a significant sum through the sales of Isaac Lihadji, Lynden Gooch and most notably Ross Stewart.

Speakman confirmed earlier this week that there was money available for further strengthening, as evidenced by the fact that the club were pursuing an additional deal in the closing stages of deadline day, one they weren't quite able to get over the line. That deal was believed to be for Estudiantes winger Benjamin Rollheiser.

The sporting director made clear that they would only move for the right player in any window but there is obviously some room in the budget moving forward. Their decisions will obviously be influenced heavily by how the injury situation at the club develops over the coming months, and they will also have a decision to make as to whether they bring Elliot Embleton back into the fold.

What about a potential return for Amad?

It's a little early to tell on that front but it's undoubtedly a possibility that all parties would be interested in.

Amad is currently recovering from a knee problem and is not expected to be fit in the immediate future, but Sunderland explored the possibility of doing a deal that might potentially have seen him be involved for a period of time (albeit likely very limited) ahead of the January window.

Ultimately that deal didn't materialise but it shows the respect between all three parties and suggests there could be scope to revisit in the next window. Of course, that will depend on how Amad is faring in his comeback, where Manchester United are at that time and whether other clubs then enter the picture.