Tony Mowbray has delivered a fitness update from the squad with Ross Stewart, Lynden Gooch and Aji Alese all expected to make their returns to the first-team next month.
Stewart has been missing since September while Gooch and Alese were both injured in action last month.
Following last night’s 2-1 win over Birmingham City, the Lads now have a three week break from the fixture schedule which includes a week long warm weather training camp where recovering players will continue to work their way back to full fitness.
“It’s good that the team are starting to come back really” said the Black Cats head coach. “There are some pretty big footballers for our club unavailable.
“I think the players deserve great credit for digging in and trying to find a way to win football matches. When you’ve got no strikers, you have to find a way.”
Dennis Cirkin was missing for the win at St Andrews through injury but he is also expected to return to full fitness in time for their first game back in the Sky Bet Championship. However, Dan Ballard potentially faces a longer road to recovery.
Mowbray continued: “Cirkin has got a calf problem. I think it is two weeks so I would hope by Millwall on 3rd December, he will be back.
“(Dan) Ballard is going to be touch and go. It will probably be too soon for him by early December."