Tony Mowbray explains Edouard Michut's ongoing absence - and when he could make Sunderland return

Michut has been absent since the 1-1 draw with Luton Town, a game in which he delivered arguably his best performance yet when replacing Corry Evans late in the game.

Mowbray had been giving serious consideration to starting him at Huddersfield Town days later, but the injury meant that plan never came to fruition. The PSG loanee has continued to feel the effects of that injury throughout the World Cup break, and though the player himself is upbeat there is as of yet no guarantee as to when he will be back.

The Sunderland head coach says it's a frustrating period for everyone, particularly given that he feels Michut could offer him a very welcome point of difference in his midfield.

"It's just dragging on a bit longer than we thought it would," Mowbray explained.

"It's a bit of everything really and to be honest it's been a bit of a mystery for everyone, it's a problem in his leg but we're not sure if it's come from his groin or his thigh, or around the knee. We've had it scanned and looked at it again - Edouard told me today that he thinks it'll be fine next week, so let's hope that is the case.

"He is a real talent, and it's frustrating for everyone that he hasn't been able to stay fit and get out on the pitch more often. He missed pre-season with injury and he's just picked up a few niggles off the back of that - it's just stopped him from getting any real consistency.

"He is very talented and a different type of midfielder, he can carry the ball and has a wonderful range of passing. He of course needs to get to grips with the physicality of the Championship, but he'll bring a real competitive edge when it comes to places in midfield.

"He gives me a different option. We've got Embo or Pritch who prefer to play a little higher, then you've got Corry Evans, Dan Neil and Jay Matete [who operate a bit deeper]. It's an area where I feel we could do with another option, he can pick a pass and drive with the ball. He can try to dictate the game from a slightly deeper position on the pitch."

Niall Huggins is in contention to feature after his excellent comeback at Birmingham City, but Mowbray added that he can afford to be patient with the youngster after such a long spell on the sidelines.

"He was fantastic against Birmingham, we only planned for him to play 60 minutes but he wanted to stay on and he was doing so well for us," Mowbray said.

"His enthusiasm and his quality - he's a very welcome addition. What he does have is a lot of competition, both Aji and Dennis out on the left and Trai and Lynden on the right, Luke O'Nien can play there as well. He has to stay fit, build his robustness every day and if he does that, I'm sure he'll feature plenty moving forward."