Massive boost: Neil handed triple Sunderland injury lift that'll delight SOL faithful - opinion

Sunderland have been handed a triple injury boost ahead of their League One clash with Gillingham today… 

Black Cats boss Alex Neil has revealed that Alex Pritchard and Nathan Broadhead have been back in training this week and might be available for selection.

He told The Sunderland Echo: “Alex and Nathan have been making really good progress this week and they’ve been out training on the grass. We’ll make a late call on them in terms of Saturday’s game.”

The Sunderland Echo added to his comments by stating that central defender Danny Batth is also set to return after he featured for the under-23 side during the international break.

These updates will surely delight the Stadium of Light faithful, as they provide Neil with a massive boost heading into the clash with Gillingham today.

All three players being fit are boosts in their own way. Firstly, having Batth as an option will add further depth to the head coach’s options at the back. Sunderland have kept an impressive four clean sheets in their last five games, which suggests that there is no need to throw him straight back into the starting line-up.

However, having him available to potentially play will delight the 40-year-old. Batth may not have had a dream start to his Sunderland career but he has shown that he can excel at Championship level, with an average SofaScore rating of 7.10 for Stoke earlier this season, and he still has time to show that form in the third tier on Wearside.

With Pritchard and Broadhead, meanwhile, Neil has two players who have proven themselves in Sunderland colours this season. The former has four goals and seven assists in League One this season, whilst the latter has found the net seven times in his last 10 outings for the Black Cats,