A long-awaited comeback for the injured Sunderland pair is finally imminent, according to Mike Dodds.

According to Mike Dodds, two Sunderland players are getting close to playing again.

This season, Sunderland has suffered from injuries to several of its main players; the most recent star to go on the sidelines is Jack Clarke.
While some players are still injured, such as Dennis Cirkin and Niall Huggins, other others are making progress.

Corry Evans has been back in full training, according to Mike Dodds, though it’s unlikely that we’ll see him play for a while after more than a year in the recovery room.

But Aji Alese and Bradley Dack are two guys we might see back on the field very soon.

Aji Alese just made his season debut in the 2-0 victory over Preston North End on New Year’s Day, meaning he has missed a significant portion of his time with Sunderland.

After just two starts, the defender sustained another injury, which has kept him off for more than a month.

Bradley Dack, who joined on a free transfer last summer, hasn’t had much luck either, suffering two separate injuries.

The midfield player for Sunderland has been sidelined since just after Christmas, despite only making five starts.
Dodds, though, now asserts that the two are “not far away” from rejoining the senior team.

According to Sunderland Echo statements from Dodds during the pre-match press conference, “Aji and Dacky are not far away; they’re not joining in fully yet, but they are taking part in some of the training.” Thus, there is some hope for some of them, but this weekend’s squad will be comparable.

Are Alese and Dack going to be back in the starting lineup?
There is less of a rush to see Aji Alese return to that left-back position at Sunderland after Leo Hjelde joined the team last month, though it is possible that he will be moved into the middle of defense.

Although Callum Styles can also play left wing-back, he didn’t play especially well against Swansea City. Hjelde has looked great since joining the team.

Alese ought to have an opportunity to see if he can solidify the backline from the middle, considering our defensive struggles at times this season.

Bradley Dack, meanwhile, faces a far more difficult task in trying to rejoin the team. The 30-year-old has not impressed thus far this season, and he will need to put in a ton of work if he is to pass players like Jobe and Adil Aouchiche in the standings.