Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray has revealed that Ross Stewart has completed his first full training session as he nears a return to action, but suggests that he might not risk the 26-year-old v Millwall this weekend.
Stewart has been sidelined since August with a thigh injury. The Scot had made a blistering start to life in the Championship with five goals and three assists to his name in his opening seven league appearance of the campaign.
His return to action has been eagerly awaited by all involved at Sunderland, and giving an update on his fitness following a training camp in Dubai, Mowbray said:
“Ross mixed it up a bit in Dubai’s training sessions between the team and individual training – today was his first full training session.
“He came through it smiling and wanting to do extra shooting, which suggests he is ready to go, but we’ll discuss whether it’s worth the risk when we then have a nine-day gap before West Brom and we have other forward players in good goal-scoring form.
“We’ll chat with Ross and discuss the best course of action after training on Friday.”
Sunderland return to Championship action v Millwall this weekend, before the host West Brom on December 12th.
The Black Cats currently sit in 15th place of the Championship table and Millwall in 6th, so the visit of Gary Rowett’s side will prove a tough test this weekend.
A contested time ahead for Stewart…
There’s a lot of hype around Stewart’s return for Sunderland. Many expect the Black Cats to start climbing the Championship tale again when Stewart returns, but after a lengthy spell out, he’ll need time to get back to his best.
And what’s more is that there’s been a lot of speculation surrounding Stewart’s future this week, with suggestions that Sunderland could look to sell their star striker in January.
All the talk could add pressure on Stewart to perform upon his return. But Mowbray is experienced enough to make sure that Stewart’s return isn’t rushed, and the Scot may well be rested or be an unused substitute in this weekend’s game.
Sunderland v Millwall kicks off at 12:30pm on Saturday and will be available to watch live on Sky Sports.
