SUNDERLAND are hoping Ross Stewart’s injury issue is not too serious – but the striker is unlikely to feature in Tuesday's Carabao Cup third-round game at Wigan Athletic.

Stewart opened the scoring as the Black Cats drew 2-2 at Fleetwood Town on Saturday, but ended the game in obvious discomfort after injuring his ankle in a tackle in stoppage time.

The Scotsman hobbled his way through to the final whistle, and Sunderland head coach Lee Johnson is hoping the knock does not prove too serious.

Stewart would probably have been on the bench at best on Tuesday anyway, with Johnson keen to use his side’s League Cup game as an opportunity to give game time to the likes of Nathan Broadhead and Aiden O’Brien, and the striker’s injury issue will only have strengthened his manager’s resolve to keep him on the sidelines at the DW Stadium.

“Ross picked up a knock,” confirmed Johnson, whose side have ceded top spot in League One to Wigan. “He rolled his ankle in the box. If you look at that one, that’s more contact than the one he’s (the referee) ended up giving against Bailey (Wright).

“We’ll have to see how everybody is (ahead of Wigan). It’s a game we think we can mix up a little bit to get the balance of minutes for players but also go and try to get into the next round.”

Johnson was furious at referee Neil Hair’s decision to award Fleetwood a penalty in the sixth minute of stoppage time, with Wright penalised for a tug on an opponent.

“I just think it’s bad refereeing,” he said. “I just think that he couldn’t wait to give it. I’ll look at his next six games, and every time there’s a corner and somebody blocks someone or every time there’s half an inch of a shirt pull, he’d better give it.

"That’s the precedent he’s set himself. All we have the power to do is downgrade on the marks."