Sunderland boss on when he hopes Elliot Embleton will return

Embleton has suffered an ankle fracture and ligament damage in the challenge that saw him shown a red card at Hull City, and is likely to be sidelined for an extended period. However, the head coach is hopeful that his Championship season might not be over.

Batth suffered a calf problem in the early stages of the 1-1 draw but the damage is not severe.

Here’s what Mowbray said about the pair ahead of Blackburn Rovers’ visit to the Stadium of Light on Boxing Day...

ELLIOT EMBLETON

Mowbray said: “Elliot is having his operation today and that’s the first hurdle. Bad injuries are emotional for any footballer because they can’t do what they want to do – but we’ll support him and he’ll get his head around it. Hopefully he can have a good festive period and then his rehab will really start. Every player and every injury is different but at this stage, I’m hopeful that we will see Elliot again this season.”

DANNY BATTH

Mowbray gave a positive update on defender Danny Batth, who also suffered a calf injury at Hull City that the club feared could be a tear, but that’s not the case.

Mowbray said: “Danny isn’t training at the moment but we don’t think it’s a bad injury. We think it will be around two to three weeks, I expect the two away games after Blackburn will come too soon but you never know, he might surprise me.”