Bendtner back for Sunderland

Nicklas Bendtner could return to the Sunderland squad for tomorrow’s Barclays Premier League trip to West Brom after recovering from a facial fracture.

The striker has returned to training wearing a protective mask, although was ineligible to play against parent club Arsenal in the FA Cup last weekend, as were fellow loan signings Wayne Bridge and Sotirios Kyrgiakos.

Midfielder David Vaughan is back in training after an ankle problem, but the game is likely to come too soon for him, and only Wes Brown (knee) and Titus Bramble (Achilles/calf) remain on the long-term casualty list.

Provisional squad: Mignolet, Westwood, Bardsley, Bridge, O’Shea, Turner, Kyrgiakos, Kilgallon, Lynch, Richardson, Gardner, Larsson, Elmohamady, McClean, Meyler, Colback, Sessegnon, Bendtner, Wickham, Ji, Campbell.