Sunderland injury news: Tony Mowbray gives Dan Ballard update ahead of Preston North End

Ballard remains in contention to return if Sunderland are able to land a place in the top six. To do that, the Black Cats need to beat Preston at Deepdale and then hope that either Coventry City are beaten at Middlesbrough, or that Millwall fail to beat Blackburn Rovers. They also need West Brom not to beat Swansea City by a significant scoreline, with Carlos Corberan’s side currently four behind the Black Cats on goal difference.

Though Mowbray has had a couple of players miss training this week, he is hopeful that he will be selecting from the same squad of players who features against West Brom and Watford.

“Dan Ballard won’t be affecting this game, but I hope there’s nothing else,” he said.

"I hope there’s nothing. There were one or two not training today for different reasons. Without giving any names away, one woke up with a crick in his neck, his neck was a bit stiff, and with modern-day footballers, that’s enough for them not to train. One wasn’t feeling well, but should be alright in the next day or two.

"I’m hoping that come the weekend, we’ll have Saturday and Sunday training before going to play on Monday and we’ll have a full squad. Or at least what the squad has been.”

It means that if Sunderland are to secure their top-six place, they will have to do so without a natural number nine or any natural centre-halves.