'Not anytime soon' - Sunderland boss gives timeframe for Corry Evans return

Anyone expecting Corry Evans to solve any tactical problems for Sunderland soon may need to have a bit of a rethink.

Sunderland captain Corry Evans will not be returning to the squad ‘anytime soon’ despite resuming training, Mike Dodds has confirmed.

Evans suffered a serious knee injury in the win over Middlesbrough in January 2023 and the injury was so severe that the club didn’t even put a timeframe on it.

However, after nearly 14 months out, Evans was pictured back in first team training this week, sparking some hope among supporters that he may be ready to return.

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That, though, is not the case according to Mike Dodds, who says the 33-year-old needs to put his knee through some serious stress-testing before he will consider him available for first-team selection.

"With Corry, he is back in full training but he's been out for well over a year,” Dodds said.

“So I think the plan is for him to play a couple of U21 games, I think they are against Manchester City and Newcastle United - and once he's had some minutes in those games we will assess him then.

“I don't see Corry being in the squad anytime soon but we'll see where he is after those games and if he comes through, he'll be a lot closer to selection."

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