Sunderland have been handed a huge double boost over Alex Pritchard and Nathan Broadhead…
What’s the latest?
Alex Neil has revealed that both players are ahead of schedule and closing in on returns from their respective injuries.
The Scottish head coach has admitted that they are still a doubt for the match against Gillingham, however, as they have only just made their way back to training.
He told the club website: “We were concerned that both would be long-term issues, but they have recovered quicker than anticipated.
“That’s great and both have been out on the grass this week, so we have hopefully seen flashes that they are coming back.
“Whether they will be back for this weekend’s game against Gillingham, I’m not quite sure, but they certainly aren’t far away.”
Cloud nine
This news will surely leave the Black Cats boss on cloud nine for multiple reasons.
Firstly, he will be delighted that both players are set to come back earlier than expected. He was seemingly worried that he would be without them for a longer period of time and that would have been a huge blow to the club’s promotion hopes.
Therefore, he will be pleased with how they have worked to recover from their respective blows. It shows that they have been putting in the hard work behind the scenes to ensure that they are back as quickly as possible and Neil will be impressed with their progress.
The ex-Preston coach will also be delighted because of what their returns mean to Sunderland. Having them back will be a major boost to the side as they have both proven themselves to be quality options at League One level this season.
Pritchard has averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.08, scoring four goals and providing seven assists from midfield. He has created an impressive two chances per game for the Mackems and his dynamic play in the middle of the park will bolster Neil’s attacking options.
Broadhead, meanwhile, has seven strikes in his last ten appearances for Sunderland in all competitions. He has also scored five times in nine third division starts, which shows that he knows how to find the back of the net on a regular basis at this level.
Therefore, Neil will be buzzing to have both of them back and available in the upcoming matches as they both have an abundance of talent to offer in the final third.
AND in other news, Speakman heading for SAFC shocker on £2.7k-p/w gem who’s the best “in the division”…
