Sunderland team news update emerges ahead of Bolton Wanderers clash

Lee Burge is unlikely to return to the side this weekend. The goalkeeper underwent blood tests following his positive Covid-19 test result, but the results have raised some concerns with the club. 

This means the 29-year old is set for up to a month of time on the sidelines, which will then follow another round of testing. 

The Sunderland boss explained the problem ahead of their upcoming game this Saturday. 

“He has still got an issue,” said Johnson, via the Sunderland Echo. 

“It’s effectively a slightly inflamed heart. He’s going to have four or five weeks where he needs to keep his heart rate below 100, and then he’ll have tests again to check that hopefully it is fully back to normal. 

“He’s being looked after really well, we’ve flagged it up early so he can rest and he should make a full recovery, and we expect that very quickly.”

The club believe that the issue will clear after some rest and that he will be able to return to the side.

Meanwhile, Johnson hinted that Bailey Wright or Alex Pritchard could return to the side this weekend after recovering from their respective calf strains. 

Both players missed the side’s 1-0 win over Portsmouth. 

Sunderland are currently chasing promotion from League One. The Black Cats are second in the table, level on points with league leaders Wigan Athletic. 

However, the Latics do have four games in hand. 

Johnson’s side will visit the University of Bolton Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 

That is unfortunate news for Burge, but the silver lining is that the club spotted any potential issues early and are now treating the matter seriously.

The club are confident he can return to action after the month’s rest, so hopefully this issue does clear as predicted.

However, on the positive