Tony Mowbray issues an update on Sunderland's long-term injury absentees

Tony Mowbray believes that Corry Evans remains on track to return to the first-team fold at Sunderland in the New Year.

Evans has not featured for the Black Cats since suffering an ACL injury in the 2-0 win over Middlesbrough in January, but has been stepping up his recovery at the Academy of Light in recent weeks. The club captain has been doing some work on the grass and that is likely to increase in the weeks ahead, hopefully clearing the way for him to play some role on the pitch in the second half of the campaign.

After such a long absence, the 33-year-old will need to be brought gradually back into the fold to build his match fitness.

"I think with that injury, we allocate a certain amount of time for it," Mowbray said.

"There's a lot of stuff that I don't see - in the gym, strengthening, doing the work that needs to be done. When you've had a cruciate, you need to strengthen the whole body really. And yet he comes out onto the grass and does some strides up and down, does some little sidefoot passes against a bounce-board, but in my mind it's still into the New Year [until he returns] probably.

"It will probably be Christmas time before he is back training with the group, and then the New Year before he is in contention, so he's still a couple of months away."

Mowbray is hopeful that his central midfield options are set to improve in the medium term, with Jay Matete on track to return to full training at some stage later this month.

Elliot Embleton is facing a longer absence as he recovers from a thigh problem suffered on loan at Derby County, with Mowbray stressing the importance of his team mates supporting the attacking midfielder.

"We all feel for him, really, having been out for eight months [with a broken ankle] so then after the injury at Derby he was in a pretty low place for a while," he said. This is why dressing rooms have to be tight and the players have to care about each other.

"He'll be in that dressing room, the lads have to lift him because while they are putting their boots on and having a bit of banter before going out to train, he'll be going the other way into the gym to do some very hard work on his own. It's not ideal, it's not nice, but hopefully everybody supports him and he'll be back sooner rather than later.

"The sad thing about it for Elliot is that he just loves football - he just wants to play. I don't think he minds if we say 'you're not going to play, go out on loan', he just wants to play," he added.

"He doesn't want to be a sub, he doesn't want to not play, he just wants to play. And he has amazing talent with both feet, he can take corners with his left and his right, he takes free-kicks with his left and his right, he just wants the ball in every five-a-side.

"It's sad that he's been deprived of that because of an injury, so we need to keep on supporting him."