Tony Mowbray confirms Ross Stewart return to Sunderland squad

Ross Stewart is back for Sunderland - and he might even start against WBA.

Tony Mowbray says Ross Stewart will be on the Sunderland bench against Millwall, ‘as a minimum.’

Stewart, who scored five goals in seven games at the start of the season, has missed the last 14 matches with a thigh problem.

He has been edging nearer to fitness during the World Cup break, though, and was close to a return against Millwall last week.

Mowbray opted for caution instead there and resisted the temptation to name the Scotsman among the substitutes. However, he has revealed Ross Stewart will be involved against WBA – and he might even start.

"I think there's a chance we'll see him on Monday," Mowbray told reporters in his pre-WBA press conference.

"Ross played around 60 minutes yesterday and scored a really, really good goal very early in that game. They had five or six first-team players playing and we had the lads who hadn't been involved at the weekend - Dennis Cirkin played the whole game. It was mainly about the fitness for both teams.

"It was good for his confidence to be out there and he came through it no problem.

"He'll train in the next few days and I think as a minimum he'll make the bench as long as he feels strong and confident. When players have been out for a while it's not just my decision, I have to make sure the player feels confident in his body.

"At the moment - as long as he trains the next few days he'll be involved on Monday night."

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