An update has emerged regarding Alex Pritchard's availability ahead of Sunderland's clash against Millwall this weekend...

What's the talk?

The Black Cats travel away from Wearside to face the Lions in the Championship this afternoon, and Tony Mowbray has revealed that the English midfielder is on course to be available for selection.

When asked about Pritchard and Dennis Cirkin's fitness on Friday, the Black Cats boss told the Sunderland Echo: "They should both be out there training with us today, Alex has been training all week.

"I think they're just about there and all being well they'll be coming with us today. I'll speak to Alex after today's training, we're mindful that we don't repeat what happened last time where he maybe came back a day or too early because he was so desperate to be involved.

"He'll have had a full week if he comes through today and that hopefully means he can play some part for us tomorrow. That's good for us because we need those options in the front end of the pitch."

Big boost for Sunderland

Sunderland were in desperate need of some good news after it was confirmed that centre-forward Ross Stewart is set to miss the rest of the season through injury.

The return of Pritchard, who has not played since the turn of the year, is a welcome relief and a huge boost for Mowbray after taking such a big hit with Stewart.

In the Championship this season, the English midfielder has caught the eye with his creative displays in the middle of the park. The former Huddersfield and Norwich playmaker has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.03 in the division, scoring twice and setting up three goals for his side in 23 appearances.

Only Stewart (7.40) has averaged a higher Sofascore rating than Pritchard for the Black Cats, and this indicates that the 29-year-old has been one of the team's top performers so far. He has created 0.4 more chances per game than any other player in the Sunderland squad in the league this term, which suggests that he is by far the team's most creative player.

Therefore, having the midfielder back and available for selection - whether that is from the start or off the bench - is a big boost for Mowbray, as Pritchard has proven himself to be an excellent performer at this level.

The dynamo is a creative talent who could provide Joe Gelhardt with the chances that he needs in order to thrive at the top end of the pitch during his loan spell from Leeds, and Sunderland supporters could hopefully get their first glimpse of that link-up this afternoon.