Frustration continues as Sunderland injury return put on hold

Elliot Embleton will have to wait a little longer to get back into match action due to the weather.

Elliot Embleton will have to wait a little longer to make his comeback from injury after the Under-21s game he was due to play in was postponed.

Embleton was pencilled in to play 45 minutes of the Premier League 2 fixture against Leicester City on Friday night after two bad injuries in the last year.

However, he will now have to wait a little longer due to a waterlogged pitch at Eppleton.

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“Our Under-21s Premier League 2 fixture against Leicester City has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch,” Sunderland said.

“The fixture was set to be played on Friday 9 February at 7pm but will now be rearrarnged to a later date.

“Graeme Murty's side will return to league action on Saturday 17 February with an away trip to Reading.”

It's another frustrating blow for Embleton, although the weather conditions were probably not ideal for a player returning from injury too. 

The midfielder suffered a fractured ankle against Hull last season. He battled his way back but then picked up a thigh problem shortly after joining Derby on loan in September.

In many ways, he is a forgotten man at Sunderland but coach Michael Beale says he remains an important figure at the club and a player he’s looking forward to having back.

“In terms of Elliot's journey at the club, we don't have enough of those maybe in the building that have been on the journey and seen the development of the team and the club in the last two years,” Beale said.

“Luke's one that has and Elliot's certainly another one, and I think that that experience is really important for new players coming in the building.

“I went for dinner with the three new signings last night to talk to them about how they've settled in at the club and the differences from our club to the others, but it's really important that the players also induct [new] players into the club: The way the culture of the club, the way we behave here, the way we train the standards, they're things that our club in this area is so important to the fans.

“If a fan come in and spoke to those players, we need to have one or two people in the building that speak like that as well. I think [players need to understand] the passion for the club and what it means to people.”

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