Ellis Simms update emerges ahead of Sunderland v Preston North End | OneFootball

Sunderland will “have to wait and see” whether Everton loanee Ellis Simms will be fit for Saturday’s Championship game against Preston North End, Black Cats boss Tony Mowbray has claimed.

Simms limped off in the first half of the 3-0 win over Reading earlier this month and did not recover in time to feature in the 2-2 draw with Watford ahead of the international break.

With Ross Stewart also sidelined, Mowbray will not have an available striker unless the Everton loanee is deemed fit enough to feature in this weekend’s game against Preston at the Stadium of Light.

The Sunderland manager suggested ahead of the break that he did not believe Simms’ injury was too serious but, speaking to club media ahead of Saturday’s match, has suggested it is unclear at this point whether he will be ready.

He said: “Hopefully, Ellis might be closer by then. We’ll have to wait and see.”

The 21-year-old joined on a season-long loan from the Premier League club in the summer and had made a good start to life in the Championship before picking up the injury – scoring three times in eight appearances.

On the impact of the striker, Mowbray said: “Ellis Simms you have to say has looked like a physical threat. He’s a young lad and he’s got a real opportunity to try and make a mark on this level of football as well.”

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The Verdict

The good news for Sunderland is that it seems as though Simms is not too far away from returning – even if he misses Saturday’s game.

Given how crazy the schedule is over the next six or seven weeks, Mowbray will not want to risk bringing the Everton loanee too early and losing him again.

He’s opted to use the likes of Amad Diallo, Patrick Roberts, and Alex Pritchard as false nines and number 10s in the absence of his strikers and it’s worked well so far.

But North End have got the best defensive record in the division – conceding just four goals in 10 games – and you have to feel it would benefit the Black Cats to have a proper striker in their ranks.