Phil Parkinson had given a fitness update and expects Chris Maguire to be fit for Oxford this weekend but will give Joel Lynch a little longer on the side-lines after the injury he suffered at Fratton Park. “Chris feels a lot better today and he'll be pushing for a place at the weekend. With Joel, the concussion is fine and he’s fine, it's just the ribs more than anything. Managing the pain is going to be an issue, but I am hopeful that by Monday he could be back in full training.”
In other news, Juan Sartori has broken his SAFC silence and taken to Twitter to congratulate the team for their performance against Rochdale. Sartori tweeted: “We expect many hours of work in the Senate. Therefore, you cannot miss a TV to see the goals of @SunderlandAFC. Yesterday we won 3 to 0. Congratulations #SAFC!”
Meanwhile, Nigel Clough has admitted that Sunderland approached him with regards to the manager’s job when they sacked Jack Ross last October. Clough said: “No, I’m not actively seeking [a new job], but if one comes up, and the chairman [Ben Robinson] said all along he wouldn’t stand in our way. I think Sunderland made an enquiry when that vacancy came up a few months ago, but that didn’t go anywhere in the end and they got Phil Parkinson in. So, it would take, I think, a situation like that.”
