Sunderland face Aston Villa in the Premier League clash at Villa Park on Sunday.
Régis Le Bris could have Nilson Angulo in the travelling squad for the weekend tie against Aston Villa.
The Ecuador international arrived at the Stadium of Light from Anderlecht in February.
He had starred for the Jupiler Pro League side, scoring seven goals and contributing eight assists from 30 matches this season.
This would have convinced Sunderland to invest around €17.3m in the winter market, but the winger hasn’t replicated his Anderlecht form for the Black Cats yet.
His Premier League stats are as follows:
Appearances: 5
Starts: 3
Total minutes: 264
Minutes per game: 53
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Expected Goals: 0.50
Expected Assists: 0.08
Last month, the 22-year-old suffered an injury and has been on the sidelines since then. That didn’t stop Ecuador manger Sebastián Beccacece from including him in the squad for the last international break.
However, the player didn’t feature for his national team and had to leave the camp due to muscle tear.
Fresh updates on Sunderland man’s injury
Fútbol Ecuador have a report on Nilson Angulo’s injury situation and the chances of him featuring against Aston Villa.
The outlet has found out the attacker is in his ‘final stages of recovery’ and everything points to his return to training soon.
Sunderland seem to dream of having him available to face Unai Emery’s side. Régis Le Bris could include the Ecuadorian in the squad, but he’s unlikely to be fit enough to get on the pitch.
Angulo is more likely to return to action in the Black Cats’ league tie against Nottingham Forest at the Stadium of Light on April 24th.
The player is at the end of his recovery process and should soon be available for selection.
Sunderland in contention for Europe
Régis Le Bris’ side are now 10th in the table, two points behind sixth placed Chelsea. With six matches left, Sunderland are in contention to qualify for Europe next season.
Nilson Angulo’s availability will offer the manager more options in the attacking position.
The Black Cats’ remaining Premier League fixtures are as follows:
v Aston Villa [away] on April 19th
v Nottingham Forest [home] on April 24th
v Wolves [away] on May 2nd
v Manchester United [home] on May 9th
v Everton [away] TBD
v Chelsea [home] on May 24th