Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has said he will not rush full-back Dennis Cirkin back to first-team action ahead of their match with Sheffield United on Friday.
The Frenchman confirmed the 22-year-old had returned to training after undergoing wrist surgery but did not confirm whether he would feature at Bramall Lane.
"He is OK now and ready to train but because he missed two weeks and we have other solutions in the squad right now, we don’t have to rush the process," Le Bris told BBC Radio Newcastle.
"I trust Dennis, he is very important to us but at the minute we shouldn’t be too risky to use him tomorrow.