Sunderland have suffered this season with injuries to strikers, Charlie Wyke and Jerome Sinclair two players who have faced a spell on the treatment table.

They've been joined by 21-year-old Andrew Nelson, an exciting striker tipped last season to break through to the first team. He's spent loan spells with Harrogate, Hartlepool and Falkirk, but as yet hasn't made his Sunderland debut.

He averaged a goal every three games in the Scottish Championship last season, but an injury in a pre-season game against Hartlepool has left him out of the picture in League One so far.

He's now on the road to recovery, tweeting that "After having a long duration of being out and a few minor setbacks, I can finally say I’ve had surgery to repair the underlying problem that’s had kept me from returning to play, looking forward to getting back out there on the pitch again."

With Wyke out for the immediate future, there could be opportunities for Nelson to show what he can do in League One, although Under 23 manager Elliot Dickman thinks there will be a spell in his squad before any senior appearances.

"Andrew is still doing a little bit of rehab so at this moment in time he’s still with the medical team and he will be for a few more weeks," he told the Sunderland Echo earlier this month. "I’m sure he’ll probably play some games for us to help him get fit again but at the moment he’s just with the medical staff."

The Verdict

Any returning player is a boost, whether he's got senior experience or not. Nelson certainly impressed at Falkirk and League One might be a stage on which he can thrive on without too much pressure.

The likelihood is he'll play some Under 23 games and maybe the odd EFL Trophy game before he sees any League One action for the Black Cats.

[ad_pod ]