Cattermole thumbs-up for Canaries

LEE Cattermole will be back for Sunderland’s trip to Norwich City today, says Simon Grayson.

The Black Cats’ inspirational midfielder suffered a fractured nose in the pre-season defeat against Celtic and, while the problem did not prevent him turning in a man-of-the-match display in the Championship season-opener against Derby County, he sat out the midweek Carabao Cup game at Bury.

Grayson says he always intended to rest Cattermole for the cup game, and that meant it was an ideal time for the 29-year-old to have his nose reset.

But Cattermole was back in training yesterday and he will be available at Carrow Road.

“Cattermole has done some work this morning, so he’s fine for Sunday’s game,” said Grayson.

“He fractured his nose against Celtic, and it needed looking at. He was never going to play at Bury, so it was the right time to have his nose sorted.”

Striker Josh Maja picked up a knee injury in pre-season and has yet to figure, but Grayson says the teenager will be assessed over the next 24 hours before a decision is taken on whether to include him in the squad.