Sunderland interim boss Mike Dodds has put a clear timeframe on when midfielder Corry Evans will make his long-awaited return.
Sunderland return to Championship action with a home game vs Millwall.
The Lions are still battling for Championship survival this season, currently sitting in 16th but with a six-point gap to safety.
Neil Harris has dragged the Lions from near the drop zone and towards safety having watched his side win their last two now.
Sunderland meanwhile are in 13th and six points ahead of Millwall, having lost just one of their last six in the league.
Corry Evans injury at Sunderland
Evans, 33, hasn’t featured since January last year.
The 66-cap Northern Ireland international sustained a serious knee injury and has been working his way back to fitness ever since.
But the midfielder has turned heads with the U21s recently, stepping up his recovery with a long range goal against Newcastle United.
Fans have been anticipating his return but were made to wait a bit longer after Evans suffered another minor setback recently.
Mike Dodds update on Corry Evans injury
But speaking to the press ahead of the weekend clash vs Millwall, Sunderland boss Dodds said that Evans will definitely feature away at Watford at the end of the month, if not in the game against Millwall this weekend.
Dodds said:
“He has been training with the group. If not this weekend, definitely the following weekend providing everything goes alright with Corry.”
Former Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray described Evans as a ‘vital’ player.
Corry Evans will really test Kristjaan Speakman resolve this summer
Going off the positive things said about Evans in his U21s appearances, it looks like he could make a real impact in what is left of the season.
Even featuring for a handful of minutes in a Sunderland shirt would be a huge achievement for him, after such a severe injury.
And whether he gets game time or not, he’s going to give Sunderland and sporting director Kristjaan Speakman a difficult decision to make in the summer.
Given his injury and his age, everyone would surely bank on Sunderland releasing Evans in the summer.
But he remains the club’s captain and Sunderland have desperately lacked a player with Evans’ experience and steel in the midfield, so Evans could yet save the club a lot of money if he’s handed another one-year deal.
It’d be a risk for sure.
Sunderland might want to take a look at Evans in the next weeks and then in the summer, but fans will no doubt be keen to see how he fares upon his return.