Recovering Hume could boost fitness in a friendly

DENVER Hume could take another step along the road to recovery next week with Sunderland considering arranging a friendly to give him some match practice.

The left-back has been out of action since the beginning of December when he suffered a severe hamstring injury against Wigan Athletic in Lee Johnson’s first game in charge - and during his lay-off he has also undergone hernia surgery.

Hume is nearing a return, but Johnson said recently the 22-year-old would need some gametime before he could be eased back into the first-team picture.

Assistant head coach Jamie McAllister says the club are considering how best to get him playing again, with a friendly game next week – when Sunderland have a rare blank midweek – or possibly involving him in the under-23s’game at Crystal Palace on Monday both possible options.

McAllister said: “Denver has been training really well, he looks good and looks strong and he is not far away.

“He is close but he has been out for a while and he does need minutes. Whether we do that with in-house games, or try and arrange a game for next week which we are trying to do - or whether he gets some minutes for the under-23s against Palace next week, they are all options we are looking at.

“We just have to keep working on him because when he is back he will be a big bonus for us.”

Aiden O’Brien and Jordan Jones both picked up muscle injuries in Sunderland’s win at Portsmouth last week.

Of those two, O’Brien is closest to a return - although it is unlikely he will be ready to face promotion rivals Lincoln

City on Wearside this afternoon. On-loan Rangers winger Jones is expected to be out for another two weeks, as are defenders Bailey Wright and Tom Flanagan (both calf).

McAllister added: “Bailey is a week or two behind, Tom the same, and Jordan too.

“Aiden was out on the grass today, which was good.

“Aiden is closer than Jordan, and Jordan and Bailey are probably at about the same stage.

“Jordan and Bailey are doing a lot of strength work on the bike and what have you, but they are not on the grass yet.”