Tony Mowbray confirms Sunderland blow on Ross Stewart and Corry Evans | OneFootball

Corry Evans and Ross Stewart will not be back fit for the start of the 2023/24 Championship season, Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray has confirmed.

Mowbray suggested that Elliot Embleton could well return in time for their season-opener against newly-promoted Ipswich Town on Sunday 6th August while Dennis Cirkin would be "touch and go".

Sunderland 2023/24 pre-season update

Having suffered defeat to Luton Town in last term's play-off semi-final, Sunderland are preparing for another season of second tier football.

Mowbray's side exceeded expectations by securing a top six finish in their first year back in the Championship and supporters will now be hoping for more of the same in the upcoming campaign.

A strong pre-season is likely to be key and the Black Cats ramp up their preparations with their first friendly fixture against local non-league sides South Shields and Gateshead on Saturday before heading away for their US tour.

Sunderland injury update

Speaking ahead of this weekend's pre-season openers, Mowbray provided an update on the fitness of his squad and revealed that some of their key players would not be back in time for the start of the 2023/24 campaign.

He told Chronicle Live: "Corry (Evans) and Ross (Stewart) won't be making the start of the season.

"Elliot (Embleton) I'm pretty sure will - or might be available for it - and he is going to play some part in the last game in the US.

"Let's wait and see on that one. Dennis (Cirkin), I don't think is too far away. He'll be touch and go towards the beginning of the sea"

Mowbray also indicated when some of the new recruits would be integrated into the first team squad.

He said: "(Jenson) Seelt isn't training at the moment, he has got an ankle injury. (Nectarios) Triantis is still in Australia because his season has only just finished, really, so we have given him a couple of weeks off to have a break before coming here for a ten-and-a-half month season.

"We'll filter them back in over the next few weeks. It's frustrating that we haven't got Aji (Alese), we haven't got Dennis, Ross, Corry, Elliott, but I'm sure they will filter in as the season starts. The likes of Elliott will filter into training before, really - maybe on the American trip."

When will Ross Stewart and Corry Evans be back fit?

The Black Cats were heavily impacted by injuries last term - a factor that makes their play-off finish all the more impressive - and it's a blow that those same issues will run into the new season.

While it's positive that both Cirkin and Embleton could be available for the Ipswich game, it is not yet clear when Stewart and Evans - two of their key men - will return to action.

Stewart fired Sunderland to promotion from League One two seasons ago but managed just 15 appearances in 2022/23 due to a string of injury issues, including an achilles problem picked up in February that he is still recovering from.