Elliot Embleton is closing in on his first Sunderland appearance in over a year after Phil Parkinson announced that he is making great progress after a long-term hamstring problem, as reported by the Northern Echo.
This Black Cats squad is not exactly brimming with creativity, even if the mercurial Chris Maguire possesses that all-too-rare ability to turn a game on its head at League One level.
Unfortunately for Parkinson, however, a lengthy spell on the sidelines has prevented him from turning to a 21-year-old academy graduate who can ‘unlock the door’ with his defence-splitting passes.
The former Bolton boss told the Chronicle back in March that he planned to promote Embleton to his first-team squad.
With the exciting attacking midfielder finally getting back to full fitness, he could finally be competing with Maguire, Lynden Gooch and co for a starting berth sooner rather than later.
The Echo reports that tonight’s clash with fellow high-flyers Ipswich Town will come too soon but Embleton will have a part to play during a cup fixture against Joey Barton’s Fleetwood next week.
That will be the Durham-born schemer’s first Sunderland appearance since September 2019.
“I’m pleased for Elliot. He’s had 45 and now a 60 minutes for the Under-23s and we are just building him up gradually and taking our time with him,” Parkinson told the Echo after Embleton scored twice against Aston Villa’s reserves on Friday.
“I’ve looked at his goals against Villa on the video, he did really well and we’re glad he is progressing and is on track – it’s good news for him.”
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