Tony Mowbray has confirmed Edouard Michut will be ruled out of the coming games against Cardiff City and Birmingham City but hopes the midfielder will be fit for the trip to Dubai during the World Cup.

Michut missed the 2-0 win at Huddersfield after suffering a groin injury but relieved Mowbray says he doesn't expect the problem to keep the 19-year-old out of action for long.

The boss hopes Michut, along with Ross Stewart, Dan Ballard and Aji Alese, are fit enough to join the squad in the Dubai training camp, where they might also benefit from some match action.

Mowbray said: "Michut is going to miss the next two games.

"I hope he’ll be like Ross Stewart and Dan Ballard and Aji, and will hopefully be training for the World Cup break in Dubai where we’ll maybe play a game or two and ease them boys back in. He’s a bit sore but it’s not a long one."

Mowbray also revealed his initial plan was for Ellis Simms to only play half an hour at Huddersfield, but introduced him 15 minutes earlier as he searched for an improvement at the John Smith's Stadium.

Simms came on at the break and gave the Black Cats something to aim at.

Mowbray said: "It was half an hour with Simms. I checked with him this week and we were talking about 30 minutes, and yet you need a physical presence and someone to run behind otherwise they can just squeeze you.

"We weren’t threatening and couldn’t get them off our back and so Simms had to go on and threaten over the top and get in behind and give us a presence to play off."