Sunderland manager Lee Johnson says Denver Hume could make his return to action for the club's Under 23s on Monday night.

Hume is closing in on a return to full fitness after suffering a hamstring injury towards the end of last season, when his contract at Sunderland had come to an end.

But after putting pen to paper on a new deal at the Stadium of Light earlier this month, Hume will once again be pushing to feature for the Black Cats in the coming weeks.

Now it seems that a run out for the club's Under 23s against Middlesbrough on Monday is a possibility for Hume as he continues his recovery, although Johnson hasn't ruled out further training with the club's first-team as an alternative.

Speaking about whether Hume could feature for the club's Under 23s at the start of next week, Johnson was quoted by The Chronicle as saying: "There could be a chance. I'd have to speak to Denver and to the physios, but there is a possibility of that [him being involved].

"The question is whether it would be more beneficial for him to have 30 minutes for the U23s or to have a good hour, hour and ten minutes, training session with the first team.

Probably at this stage, it would be better for him to have more minutes in training and then maybe the week after we will look at integrating him into those games."

Sunderland currently sit top of the League One table, with 15 points from their six league games so far this season.

The Verdict

It looks as though Sunderland are in a rather strong position when it comes to Hume's recovery.

The fact they can either let the left-back train with the first-team or play for the Under 23s means they have options as to what approach to take with him, both of which could be beneficial to his progress.

Indeed, with Dennis Cirkin having started life at the Stadium of Light strongly, the Black Cats are not under any pressure to rush Hume back into the side, given they have plenty of cover at left-back.

Hume's return to action, at his own pace, should therefore be another boost to Sunderland's hopes this season, meaning after a strong start to the campaign, things are looking very good indeed for Lee Johnson's side.