Everton: Sunderland striker Ellis Simms back on grass after injury lay-off
Sunderland’s on-loan Everton striker Ellis Simms is back on grass for the first time today after suffering a toe injury in the Black Cats’ 3-0 win over Reading.
Mackems boss Tony Mowbray suggested (Sunderland Echo, 3 October) that Simms’ injury situation wasn’t going to change soon.
However, the Sunderland manager has since suggested (The Chronicle’s James Hunter, Twitter, 13 October) that the 21-year-old is now nearing a return to action.
Get firing again
Simms was in electric form before his injury, with three goals in eight games for Sunderland in what is his first loan spell at Championship level. Simms has been excellent everywhere he has gone and will probably deserve a shot at Goodison Park when he does return to Merseyside.
He scored ten goals for Blackpool in League One and seven goals for Hearts in Scotland in the 2021/22 season. Simms is a physical presence but also a goalscorer, which can sometimes be hard to come by. Considering Kevin Thelwell’s recent focus on the academy, it would be a huge shock if the 21-year-old wasn’t given chance in and around the first-team squad.
His current deal at Everton comes to a close in the summer of 2024, so a decision will need to be made soon regarding Simms’ future at the club. By the time he returns he will be 22 and another loan spell away would seem pointless.
Considering the lack of striking options Frank Lampard has at his disposal, Simms could well be in with a shout of making an impact for the first team in the coming years.