Wyke bouncing back – but first-team return is on hold

CHARLIE Wyke is set for a big weekend in his recovery from injury - but the Sunderland striker will not be with his teammates in Portsmouth.

The top-of-the-table clash at Fratton Park had been earmarked for the striker’s return from a knee injury.

Instead, he is due to play 90 minutes for the under-23s in a behind-closed-doors friendly tonight. Provided he comes through it, he could make his first-team comeback against former club Bradford City on Boxing Day.

Manager Jack Ross revealed. “Charlie will play in a bounce game on Friday so he will not travel to Portsmouth.

“He will be with the under-23s. He has trained for the last two and a half weeks now and played a bit of in-house football. He played in a bounce match last week and he will play 90 minutes on Friday.

“If he comes through that okay, potentially he will be close to the squad for Boxing Day.

“Hopefully we will be able to use Charlie over this schedule between now and Charlton (Athletic, who Sunderland face on January 5).”

The Portsmouth match kicks off a busy festive period, when most managers will be looking to rotate their squads to keep players fresh.

The Black Cats play five league games in 15 days, then have a Football League Trophy last-16 tie at home to Newcastle U-21s three days later - followed by another league match at home to Luton Town the following weekend.