Sunderland: Ellis Simms unlikely to start until after World Cup break

Simms ended a six-week injury absence when he came off the substitutes’ bench during the second half of the Black Cats’ weekend draw with Luton Town.

The striker, who was sidelined by a toe injury sustained during last month’s win at Reading, played for the final 19 minutes at Kenilworth Road and will be back in the squad when Sunderland head to Huddersfield tomorrow evening.

However, with Mowbray keen to build up his minutes gradually, there is a good chance he will not feature in the starting side until the Black Cats return to action after the World Cup break in early December.

“It’s similar sort of stuff really,” said the Sunderland boss. He (Simms) will probably get ten minutes more on Wednesday night (than he did against Luton), although the game will dictate, of course.

“To give him game time, to get his boots on and to get him feeling more confident in himself is what I would say (is important). He is a young boy, even though he looks a huge man on the pitch. He needs the confident to know that the injury is going to be fine, and he’s got to work really hard.

“By working hard, he can get his general fitness up so he can start thinking about starting a game. It will be after the international break before you see him play 90 minutes in my mind.”

Ross Stewart will be absent entirely until after the World Cup break, although the striker was back out on the grass yesterday for the first time since suffering a thigh injury in the warm-up ahead of last month’s Tees-Wear derby defeat at Middlesbrough.

Sunderland striker Ross Stewart (Image: Ian Horrocks)

Dan Ballard has also stepped up his own rehabilitation programme in the last few days, having been sidelined since fracturing his foot in August.

“Ross was on the training pitch (yesterday) with the physios,” said Mowbray. “It was just good to see him with his boots on and kicking a football, which is telling me he is not far away.

“Dan has been out there for a few days running with the physios. It’s good to know that, somewhere around the corner, we are going to have lots more options to pick from.”