Sunderland ace confirms he is 'feeling fit' and ready to return after foot injury

Lynden Gooch has confirmed he is fit again and raring to go for Sunderland when the Championship season resumes.

Gooch suffered a foot injury in the 2-1 home win over Wigan Athletic in October and it saw him join a lengthy Sunderland injury list.

The knock came at a bad time for the American, who had firmly established himself as the Black Cats’ first choice right back and was producing the most consistent football of his career so far.

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However, he should be back and available again for coach Tony Mowbray when Sunderland face Millwall at the Stadium of Light on December 3 – assuming everything goes well in a friendly against Al-Shabab in Dubai.

“It’s been good on a personal note to be back training with the team” Gooch told the official club website. “I was out for five weeks so I’ve been trying to get back into the swing of things and get fit.

“I feel fit and it is all about getting touches on the ball. Just to get that rustiness away and get ready for next week when we get home.

“Get some minutes into the legs, which is obviously ideal for myself and everyone else who has had a week off. It’s going to be tough in this heat but it will be good in the long run for us.”

Gooch joined the likes of Ross Stewart, Ellis Simms, Dan Ballard and Aji Alese in the treatment room at Sunderland, but all except Ballard should be available for the Millwall game.

Ballard himself is not far away either. He has a chance of making the squad for the clash with his former club, but it’s more likely he will need another couple of weeks to recover from the fractured foot he suffered against QPR in August.

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