'A very good footballer - Sunderland boss impressed by January recruit

Callum Styles is yet to make his Sunderland debut due to injury, but Michael Beale has certainly liked what he's seen in training.

January recruit Callum Styles is a ‘very good footballer’ according to Michael Beale, who has finally got his first real look at the midfielder in training.

Styles joined Sunderland on deadline day from Barnsley but is still to make his debut due to appendix surgery last month.

He has, though, returned to training in the last couple of days, and he could be named on the substitutes bench for the trip to Birmingham this weekend.

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Even if he’s not on the team sheet for at St Andrews, Beale has been impressed with what he has seen and he expects him to be fully back up to speed by the time Swansea visit the Stadium of Light on February 24.

"On Callum, it was his second full session today so we will have to see," said Beale.

"There is a bit of tenderness there. By next week he will be 100% so we will have to see whether he makes the bench and how much he can play.

"He's a bit of an unknown to us in the sense that he's only had a couple of sessions. He's a very good footballer by the way."

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