Alex Neil shares encouraging update on key Sunderland man as Crewe clash looms

Sunderland manager Alex Neil has revealed that Alex Pritchard’s current injury is not as bad as first feared.

Pritchard sustained an issue with his ankle during the club’s recent clash with Charlton Athletic which forced him to miss his side’s meeting with Fleetwood Town earlier this week.

In the absence of the 28-year-old, Sunderland managed to seal all three points in this particular fixture thanks to goals from Elliot Embleton, Luke O’Nien and Jack Clarke.

Neil initially believed that Pritchard could be out of action for six to eight weeks which would have resulted in him missing a host of games.

However, the attacking midfielder may now play a significant role for Sunderland in the closing stages of the season.

The Black Cats will be hoping to back up their recent victory over Fleetwood by producing a positive performance against Crewe Alexandra this weekend.

By securing victory in this fixture, Sunderland will move up to fourth in the League One standings if Oxford United slip up in their clash with Shrewsbury Town.

Ahead of this game, Neil has shared an injury update on Pritchard.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference (as cited by the Sunderland Echo) about Pritchard, Neil said: “He’s making good progress Al and I don’t think it will be as bad as first feared.

“We were probably thinking at the time it was going to be a six to eight week injury but it’s certainly not going to be as bad as that.

“That’s a positive.

“I don’t really want to put a timeframe on it because we feared the worst, but it’s certainly not in that ballpark in terms of a timeframe.”

The Verdict

This is an encouraging update for Sunderland as Pritchard has emerged as a key player for the club during the current campaign.

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