Danny Batth has been out of action since early February but is making positive strides in his recovery at Sunderland.

The former Stoke City and Wolverhampton Wanderers centre back was a marquee January signing for the Black Cats and was growing into his role at the heart of defence.

The Black Cats have experienced their fair share of ups and downs defensively this season and Batth was an ambitious signing to improve their rearguard.

The 31-year-old has not played since Alex Neil's appointment at the Stadium of Light and will be desperate to make a strong impression in order to force his way into consideration.

As the play-off race heats up, Neil provided an update on Batth's condition, when he spoke to ChronicleLive.

He said: "He's been on the grass, he's been doing running and he's been in better nick.

"He's not far away now.

"He's not trained with us specifically but he's been doing his own work in terms of changing direction and all that stuff."

It can be difficult for new signings to transition quickly to a different manager from the one that signed them and Bailey Wright has come into the side to good effect in recent weeks, putting more pressure on Batth in looking to earn his starting spot back.

The Verdict

Neil has shown a clear desire to select experienced players over youth since stepping into the role, and that bodes well for Batth and suggests that he could be preferred to Callum Doyle at centre back in the coming months.

The Black Cats still have a lot of work to do to ensure they finish in the play-offs, Plymouth Argyle, Sheffield Wednesday and Wycombe Wanderers have been on very good form of late and will keep the North East club on their toes.

Batth's leadership qualities could really come to the fore in the crunch encounters that are to come, with plenty of survivors remaining in the squad from their failed play-off campaigns of 2018/19 and 2020/21.