Sunderland receive major injury boost ahead of trip to Middlesbrough
Patrick Roberts has handed Sunderland a major injury boost with him set to return to the squad to face former club Middlesbrough on Sunday.
Roberts has been out since injuring his calf in the 1-1 draw with Rotherham last month, but he is back in full training and – barring any mishaps – he will be in the squad that travels to the Riverside.
New signings Romaine Mundle and Leo Hjelde are also available, with he latter in with a good chance of starting.
"Patrick Roberts will be involved as long as he comes through training on Saturday, so he's ahead of schedule," head coach Michael Beale said on Friday.
"It's important that we respect that as well but if you ask Paddy, he's fit and ready to go. Leo and Romaine are both ready to go.
“Leo is slightly in front of Romaine in terms of the minutes he's played this season but they're both ready to come straight into the squad this weekend."
One player who won’t be making his Sunderland debut at Middlesbrough is Callum Styles.
The midfielder was the Black Cats’ third and final January addition, but he has recently undergone surgery to remove his appendix so is still a couple of weeks away from playing.
"We had an agreement on Callum but then he had to go for surgery,” sporting director Kristjaan Speakman explained. “It was a fairly minor procedure nowadays and the medical staff obviously do an incredible job.
"He's just got to get himself back on his feet and he should be back on the grass in the next ten to fourteen days and available for selection.
"That was obviously a decision for us to make. Do you stick with it or go with someone else? But we felt it was the right decision to forgo this next game or two to have him for the rest of the season beyond that."
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