Steve Bruce hoping for treble fitness boost

KEY men Lee Cattermole and Michael Turner could be fit for Sunderland’s must-win clash with Stoke on Monday.
Steve Bruce

Centre-back Turner missed Sunderland’s midweek defeat at Everton after suffering a knee injury in the FA Cup exit at Portsmouth last weekend, while midfielder Cattermole’s comeback from a hamstring injury was cut short after just 45 minutes at Goodison Park due to a back problem.

But Black Cats boss Steve Bruce has not ruled either man out of Monday’s game against the Potters at the Stadium of Light.

And he could also have Phil Bardsley available again, with the right-back making a fast recovery from the hamstring strain which ruled him out of the Everton game.

Bruce said: “Cattermole, Turner and Bardsley all have a chance.

“They are recovering well and, while I won’t decide until the last minute, they could be involved on Monday.

“If they are fit, it would be a huge boost for us.”

Cattermole has barely played since damaging knee ligaments in October. He returned briefly just before Christmas but picked up a hamstring tear in only his second game back.

And Bruce initially feared that the man he brought with him from Wigan last summer had suffered another hamstring strain – this time on the opposite leg.

But those fears have proved unfounded. “I just want to reassure the fans that its not a recurrence of his hamstring injury,” said Bruce.