Cole closing in on debut

Sunderland manager Roy Keane is backing former team-mate Andy Cole to bring goals and experience to his side as he closes in on a Barclays Premier League debut for the Black Cats.

The 36-year-old striker will play in a friendly against Chesterfield at the Academy of Light tomorrow afternoon having got 70 minutes under his belt in Andy Lawrie’s testimonial at Falkirk last Thursday.

Cole, who needs 13 more Premier League goals to reach the 200 mark, is yet to make his senior debut for the Wearsiders having been sidelined by a calf problem.

However, Keane hopes to include him in his squad for Saturday’s trip to Everton and having played alongside him so successfully during their time together at Manchester United, is confident he has plenty to offer his latest club.

Keane said: “We brought him to the club because he has what we have been missing a bit, that experience and the ability to take his chances when they come along.

“You cannot buy that. I have worked with him and I know what he is all about. We have a lot of young players and maybe I have under-estimated the lack of experience we have got.

“That might come into the equation when we buy players in January. We have not been street-wise enough and Andrew will bring that to the side.

“It is not about just what he adds in terms of his quality, it is what he can give to Kenwyne Jones and Michael Chopra in terms of his experience as well. They will benefit from playing with him in games and, more importantly, in training.”

Captain Dean Whitehead, Carlos Edwards, Stanislav Varga and Kieran Richardson have all spent lengthy spells on the sidelines this season and Nyron Nosworthy faces up to five more weeks out with a hamstring tear.

Whitehead could also figure against Chesterfield, while Edwards, who returned from a hamstring injury for the 1-1 derby draw with Newcastle only to injure his shoulder, could be fit for the trip to Goodison Park.

However, Keane will have no qualms about pitching Cole into the battle on Merseyside.

He told the Sunderland Echo: “It has been unfortunate for us that he has been injured. But he has trained for a couple of weeks and has had a couple of reserve games and hopefully, he will be involved against Everton.

“He does not need five or six reserve games because of his experience. He still needs a bit of sharpness, though.”

Meanwhile, Keane is facing up to the prospect of losing 25-year-old midfielder Dickson Etuhu for up to seven matches in the new year.

Nigeria boss Berti Vogts is to stage a two-week training camp before the African Nations Cup, which gets under way in Ghana on January 20 and runs until February 10.

Whitehead’s impending return to competitive action will lessen the blow for the Irishman, who also has Grant Leadbitter, Liam Miller, Dwight Yorke and Graham Kavanagh fighting for places in central midfield.

However, Etuhu, a £1.5m summer signing from Norwich, has started all but two of the club’s 14 matches to date this season, appearing in one more as a substitute and missing just one through suspension.