Michael Beale Rotherham United 1-1 SAFC 29-12-23, EFL Championship. Picture by FRANK REID
Sunderland midfielder suffers injury setback, will miss scheduled return game
Sunderland midfielder Elliot Embleton will not feature for the club’s U21s tonight after suffering a setback in his return to fitness, it has emerged.
Sunderland academy graduate has had a tough time with injuries. He would have been hoping to kick on with Derby County after joining the Rams on loan in the summer, but a torn thigh brought an end to his time there after just two appearances.
The 24-year-old has been on the road to recovery since and has been lined up for a return with the U21s recently. Embleton was poised for a return against Leicester City’s youngsters last Friday, only for the game to be off. Nevertheless, a quick turnaround to Tuesday night action meant he wouldn’t have long to wait.
However, when covering Michael Beale’s pre-Huddersfield Town press conference, reporter Phil Smith relayed that the Sunderland midfielder has suffered a set-back. Embleton has rolled his ankle and will miss the U21s tie against Peterborough United.
It is hoped that it is just a minor setback.
Embleton has proven himself as a useful asset since breaking into the Sunderland first-team. There have been fruitful loans with Grimsby Town and Blackpool while also managing 11 goals and 10 assists in 92 outings for the Black Cats, largely operating as an attacking midfielder or no.8.
Should he not face a long spell out, it will be assumed that the plan will remain to ease Embleton back into action. Outings with the U21s can be carefully managed before stepping into the first-team picture, when he’ll be aiming to catch the eye of new boss Beale to break into the team.
