The Sunderland youngster who could be set for first-team opportunity under Mike Dodds after injury comeback

Tommy Watson is likely to return to the first-team fold for the closing stages of the season after making his comeback from a hamstring problem on Monday.

The 17-year-old impressed as a substitute during Sunderland U21's 3-2 defeat to Newcastle United at the Academy of Light earlier this week, and could be involved again when they face Leicester City at Eppleton on Friday night. Watson is one of the players who would likely have been given greater game time during Jack Clarke's absence with a knee ligament issue, had he not been recovering himself from his injury.

Interim head coach Mike Dodds said after Clarke suffered his blow late last month that Watson would be in his thinking when fit, and so could be in line for a return to first-team action in the final weeks of the campaign. Watson made his debut against Huddersfield Town last season and after an injury-hit pre-season, put pen to paper on a professional contract at the club despite interest from top-tier clubs.

"My absolute utopia really would be a team of Sunderland kids, so I'm always going to have a bias towards those lads," Dodds said last month.

"Tommy would definitely be someone edging closer to the team, I think at the moment he is another one who is only part training at the moment and so he isn't in our thinking currently. If he gets fit quicker than Jack and I expect that to be the case as it stands, he will certainly be someone in the mix.

"We've got to give those players opportunities and see if they can hit the level, the reality is we know they won't all do it but we've got to give them the opportunity. Tommy is definitely one who, not just myself, but the club as a whole have high hopes for."

Dodds said last week that he thinks the Easter weekend fixtures may come just too soon for Clarke and fellow winger Patrick Roberts, but he is hopeful that they may be fit to face Bristol City at the Stadium of Light the following weekend.

Clarke's agent, the former Sunderland defender Ian Harte, said this week that the winger would definitely play again this season but added that the 23-year-old has not yet returned to full training alongside his Sunderland team mates.

“He is still not ready yet," Harte said.

"He still has not joined the group yet. He has been doing a bit of one-to-one. He only had the boot off a week ago. I’m guessing the physio is going to have to make sure that he gets back and that he is right before they push him into the team."

Sunderland's injury issues in recent weeks have seen academy players Tom Lavery and Harrison Jones promoted to the first-team matchday squad, and there could be more opportunities in the closing weeks of the season.