Campbell to be wrapped in cotton wool (From The Northern Echo)

Campbell to be wrapped in cotton wool

8:00am Saturday 4th February 2012 in Sport By Paul Fraser, Chief Football Writer

SUNDERLAND'S medical department have been urging Martin O'Neill to treat comeback kid Fraizer Campbell carefully ahead of this afternoon's trip to Stoke City.

Campbell has burst back in to action after a 17-month lay-off with two goals in his first two outings in a Black Cats shirt to help dilute the memories of such an extended run on the sidelines.

But given the severity of the anterior cruciate ligament injury he battled to overcome, O'Neill is being told to tread carefully - even if the striker is desperate to keep going.

"I wasn't really thinking about that until the physios got in my ear," he said. "He's been out for a long time and once the euphoria from his first two games had died down I felt they might have a point.

"If we didn't have midweek games we might not have thought about giving him a rest. Fraizer would want to play the game but we'll wait and see. I might be influenced by the medics. If he got injured again I wouldn't be best pleased."

Given the combative and direct style of play Sunderland will face at the Britannia Stadium this afternoon, O'Neill would be forgiven if he had considered Stoke's approach when choosing to start with Campbell.

But the Sunderland boss insisted the Potters' approach to the game, particularly in home matches, will not be in his thinking - even if he might have to change his goalkeeper.

Simon Mignolet, who has had to play in a protective mask to cover his facial injuries in recent weeks, has been struggling with a bruised knee since Wednesday's 3-0 win over Norwich.

Keiren Westwood is in line to start this afternoon, having only lost his place early in O'Neill's Sunderland tenure because he was laid low with illness.

O'Neill, who also has Scotland international Craig Gordon available again, said: "Simon hurt his knee in the last 20 minutes on Wednesday and he doesn't complain about anything. We will have that looked at.

"There's a bit of bruising and it's causing him a bit of concern. He doesn't complain about anything so when he does then it's something I listen to, it's nothing to do with the opposition. It's something I'll have a look at this morning.

"Talking in general terms, you know what's going to come at Stoke, particularly at set pieces, you just cope with it the best you can.

"I've got no problem about putting Keiren in, not in the slightest. It'll be a battle for that number one spot over time because I've got three excellent keepers with Craig Gordon also coming back from injury. I'm very pleased to have such quality in that position."