Why Amad and his Sunderland teammates will be at Manchester United next week

Sunderland, like their Championship rivals, face a busy festive period and Mowbray is hoping the reduction in travel time will therefore give his squad a boost on the training ground in between games.

The Black Cats face Blackburn Rovers at home on Boxing Day before a double-header in the North West, Wigan away on Thursday night and then Blackpool on New Year's Day.

The training sessions at Manchester United will mean a temporary return to his parent club’s training base for loanee Amad.

Mowbray said: “We've got to go to the North-West on the back of the Blackburn Rovers game and we're going to stay over in the North-West for four days between Christmas and the New Year.

"It's probably not ideal for family life, but the fixtures have thrown up Wigan and Blackpool and the correct thing to do is to stay there and rest properly, otherwise we would be getting back at 2am - like the fans will, unfortunately - but then do you bring the players in and train the next day, and then the very next day you would be coming in and getting back on the bus to go another three-and-a-half hours over to the North-West.

"We feel it is best to stay over there and we've asked Manchester United if we can use their training facilities, and that's what we'll do."