Sunderland have been having to make do without a “fantastic” player because of injury, but a key update has emerged regarding his return, courtesy of reliable journalist James Hunter.
Sunderland’s injury problems
The Black Cats were hoping to return from the international break with a win away to Plymouth Argyle on Saturday afternoon, but that didn’t prove to be the case.
Instead, Tony Mowbray’s men slumped to a 2-0 defeat on the south coast, and that result coupled with other scorelines throughout the day means that Sunderland have dropped to ninth place in the Championship table.
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In fairness, injuries aren’t necessarily helping Mowbray at the moment, with a number of players unavailable as they tackle respective fitness issues.
Defender Aji Alese is one player who is currently absent, with his return not expected to arrive for another few weeks, while youngster Mason Burstow, who joined on loan from Charlton Athletic in the summer, also missed the loss to Plymouth.
Mason Burstow injury latest
Providing an injury update on X after Saturday’s game, Hunter claimed that Sunderland loanee Burstow is expected to return to the fold in the near future.
Tony Mowbray expects Mason Burstow back in action very soon after he missed safc’s defeat at Plymouth.”
Meanwhile, in his report for The Chronicle, Hunter gave more depth on the matter, explaining that Burstow could even be back for the visit of lowly Huddersfield Town at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday evening:
“Mason Burstow is expected to be available for Sunderland’s midweek game against Huddersfield Town despite missing the trip to Plymouth Argyle through injury. On-loan Chelsea striker Burstow has not been starting games recently, with boss Tony Mowbray giving Nazariy Rusyn a chance instead, he but has been involved from the subs’ bench.
[…]
“Mowbray did not give any details of the nature of Burstow’s injury but indicated that it was a minor issue, saying he is set to train tomorrow and be in contention when the Terriers visit the Stadium of Light on Wednesday evening.”
Burstow has done a solid job for Sunderland since arriving on a temporary basis from Sunderland, and while he isn’t necessarily one of the first names on Mowbray’s team sheet, he is still a handy squad player who it is important to have available.
The 20-year-old has started seven Championship games for the Black Cats this season, also making two substitute appearances in the competition, but no goals have come his way, and only one assist.
For Burstow to become a more key figure upon his return from injury, he needs to improve his end product, especially considering he is a forward, with his contribution something that could be vital to Sunderland’s promotion chances.
The youngster is clearly a talent, with former Charlton manager Johnnie Jackson once describing his progress as “fantastic” and calling him a “really humble young man”, and it’s now a case of finding some consistency and delivering goals and assists at a more regular rate.
