Everton loanee Ellis Simms could return to action for Sunderland against Luton Town
Tony Mowbray has revealed Everton loanee Ellis Simms could return to action for Sunderland on Saturday in their Championship fixture against Luton Town.
Simms was back on grass earlier this month (The Chronicle’s James Hunter, Twitter, 13 October) after suffering a toe injury in Sunderland’s 3-0 win over Reading on 14 September.
However, it appears he is well on his way to recovery and Mowbray has now revealed the 21-year-old could now feature at Kennilworth Road.
“The uncontrolled stuff, when he’s just joining in with the players and he’s not being careful with his twisting and turning or anything, starts Monday,” said Mowbray (quoted by Sunderland Echo, 25 October).
“That’ll be the final test for him and if he overcomes that he should potentially be available for the trip to Luton – that’s the trip that we should be aiming for I think.”
Big couple of months
The next couple of months will be huge for Simms, after a string of impressive loan spells for the striker. He has scored goals at Blackpool, Hearts and Sunderland before his untimely injury. If he can continue where he left off, he could well give Frank Lampard a decision to make in the summer in regards to his first-team plans.
It would be a crying shame to see Simms fall down the same path as Nathan Broadhead, who has really struggled to make any sort of inroad on the first team and has instead spent most of his time away from Goodison Park.
Simms has all the physical attributes to be a success for Everton and clearly has an eye for goal. Maybe the Toffees’ striker hunt should begin a little closer to home when the summer window does open.
For now, it’s important for Simms to make an impact for Sunderland and display that the Championship is below the level he is capable of performing at.