SUNDERLAND are confident Jan Kirchhoff will be ready to give the fight for Premier League survival a boost by the time they return to action.

Kirchhoff came through just over an hour of football on his return to action for the Black Cats’ Under-23s during Monday night’s defeat to Manchester United.

The reports on his fitness and recovery have been positive after that and manager David Moyes is hopeful he can get the German in good shape for the next game.

Sunderland have a weekend off because of their FA Cup exit and Middlesbrough’s progression, so Kirchoff should be able to prove he is ready in between matches.

Moyes’ side are due to play Burnley on Saturday, March 18, so that allows the former Bayern Munich midfielder the extra time to build up his fitness.

Kirchhoff has not played since the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in mid-December. He ruptured knee ligaments and that was the latest set-back in a frustrating campaign on a personal level.

He said: "It has been very frustrating. It is not nice to be out and unable to help the team in any way.

“This whole season has been frustrating, not only for me personally but for us as a team.

“We will try our best to stick together and fight our way back out of this situation.

“That’s what I am doing now as well – trying to help the team get some points to stay in the league this season.”

The appearance against Chelsea was only the seventh time Kirchhoff had played in the Premier League, while his other two outings were in the EFL Cup and EFL Trophy for the Under-23s.

His absence was a big blow to Sunderland, who have had a number of set-backs on the injury front all season. It is hoped the 26-year-old will play a significant part of the run-in, given how the midfield area has been a particular cause of concern this season.

Kirchhoff added: “For me though it is a positive to have got these minutes and try to build my fitness.

“We have a weekend off because Middlesbrough are playing in the cup, so it is a chance to have a good week training and then start on Monday and keep going throughout the week to work on my fitness.”

Moyes, whose side trail safety by six points after losing to Manchester City, hopes for more players to be available for the run-in but only Steven Pienaar stands any chance along with Kirchhoff of facing Burnley on Saturday week.

Forward Victor Anichebe is the nearest player to a return after that, although it would be a surprise to see him in first team action again before mid-April because of his knee ligament problem. Sunderland have won just once since before Christmas.