Sunderland have been handed a major injury boost ahead of their Premier League showdowns against Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, according to reports.
Sunderland chasing Europe after dream season back in the top flight
Sunderland were not supposed to be here.
A newly promoted club in their first Premier League season in nearly a decade, Régis Le Bris‘ side go into the final six games with a realistic claim on European football.
Sunday’s 1-0 win over Tottenham, secured by a Nordi Mukiele strike, moved the Black Cats to within a single point of seventh-placed Brentford and just six adrift of the top five.
Three wins in four have generated genuine momentum at the Stadium of Light, and with Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Everton all to come in the run-in alongside trickier assignments at Villa and Man United, the fixtures are manageable enough to sustain a push.
The visit to Villa on Sunday is next, and it will test the depth of a squad that has been significantly disrupted by injuries across the final weeks of the season.
Related
Sunderland readying move for £20m forward as shock discount offer emerges
The Black Cats want to strengthen their forward line this summer.
Nilson Angulo has been a notable absentee since mid-March, and his return has become one of the more closely tracked stories on Wearside.
Sunderland gifted Nilson Angulo boost ahead of Villa and Forest
Now, according to a report from Ecuadorian outlet Futbol Ecuador, the winger is in the final stages of his recovery and closing in on a return.
The club’s own staff have apparently confirmed Angulo is approaching the end of his rehabilitation, with the possibility that he could be included in the squad for the Villa trip on Sunday.
However, the outlet cautions that confirming his return to the pitch this weekend is premature, with the more realistic target their home fixture against Nottingham Forest on April 24.
Angulo, 22, arrived from Anderlecht in February for around £17.5m and had been earmarked as a key contributor to the second half of the season.
The Ecuadorian winger managed seven goals and eight assists for Anderlecht in Jupiler Pro League football before making the move, and quickly established himself as an option Sunderland were building around on the left flank.
His injury arrived at the worst possible moment — a muscle tear sustained in training days before the 1-0 defeat to Brighton on March 14, which ruled him out immediately and led to a four to six-week prognosis from Le Bris.
The international break that followed complicated matters further.
Ecuador initially included him in their squad for friendlies against Morocco and the Netherlands despite the injury, a decision that drew criticism in his home country.
His national team coach, Sebastián Beccacece, quickly resolved the situation, confirming Angulo would return to Sunderland to continue treatment. He has been described as an undisputed starter for his country when available.
Images of him back on the grass at the Academy of Light emerged last week, raising hope that he could yet play a role in the run-in.
Le Bris has managed without him — Chris Rigg has covered on the right, Chemsdine Talbi has come in on the left — but the additional quality Angulo offers in wide areas would be a significant asset as the fixtures become increasingly consequential.
Related
Le Bris looks like he’s creating another Jack Clarke at Sunderland
Regis Le Bris deserves a huge amount of credit for how he’s transformed Sunderland and one particular young star.