Sunderland are hoping for some good news on the injury front as attention turns to the weekend's clash with Bristol Rovers.

The Black Cats have a full week to prepare for the weekend's clash with the club being allowed a rare midweek evening off as the League One fixture list pauses for breath.

Lee Johnson's side have been going great guns in the league but will be happy to see that some of their players could come back into the reckoning this week.

Reports from the Sunderland Echo have claimed that Denver Hume is closing in on a return.

The full-back has been out of action for some time with a hamstring injury but looks set to take part in a behind-closed-doors friendly that could see a number of players afforded valuable match minutes.

Aiden O'Brien, Benji Kimpioka, Josh Hawkes and Oliver Younger are also in contention to be involved, and discussing the match, Johnson says that it could be crucial in helping the club for the run-in.

Johnson explained: "The lads have a couple of days off now then on Tuesday we're going to arrange a behind closed doors game as there are a couple who need minutes topping up.

"Then it's about the final sprint, really.
"It's not a massive rest but it's something, and in training we can actually work, rather than just recover."

 

 

The verdict This could be a big boost for Lee Johnson's side. Sunderland are looking very strong in the league but having some of their injured stars back in contention could be massive in helping them between now and the end of the season. The promotion race will be decided by fine margins and so having players like Denver Hume and Aiden O'Brien back could be huge.