Sunderland injury round-up as Alex Neil confirms Danny Batth close to return

Sunderland are looking to clear up the treatment table as the business end of the season approaches. The Black Cats have eight games to secure their playoff spot before the real crunch time begins.

Several key first-team players remain injured and getting them fit will hand Alex Neil a trump card in his bid for promotion. Results in League One on Tuesday mean Sunderland are clinging on to sixth place and the return of high-profile stars could give the squad a boost that helps get them over the line.

ChronicleLive details which players are injured and when you can expect to see them back in action.

One player nearing a comeback is former Wolves defender Danny Batth. The 31-year-old signed on a free transfer last summer and started the first four games of the campaign. An ankle injury has ruled him out ever since, but Neil confirmed he is ‘not far away’ from a long-awaited return.

The Sunderland boss said: “He’s (Batth) been on the grass, he’s been running and he’s been in better nick. He’s not far away now. He’s not trained with us specifically but he’s been doing his own work in terms of changing direction and all that stuff."

The 35-year-old has been out since November with a knee injury and there were fears he could be ruled out until the end of the season. The good news for Sunderland fans is that McGeady is back in light training and could play a vital role during the promotion run-in.

The Everton loanee had a bright start to the season but a hamstring injury means he has played just once since the start of December. Broadhead did feature against Charlton a fortnight ago but tweaked his hamstring again and missed the two victories against Fleetwood and Crewe.

Neil hinted that Broadhead’s latest hamstring problem