Chris Maguire is set to return to full training this week and could be available for Sunderland's Good Friday game against Doncaster Rovers.
Maguire suffered a fractured leg in February but it has healed quickly and Black Cats manager Jack Ross expects the 30-year-old to be ready to join in training with his first-team squad by the middle of the week.
And while this weekend's home game against Coventry may come around too soon, given that Maguire has been out of action for almost two months, he hopes the Scot will be ready to play some part against Rovers at the Stadium of Light at the end of next week.
"Chris has been out on the grass and we would expect him to be back joining in with the group on Wednesday or Thursday," said Ross, whose side will continue their promotion campaign at home to Burton Albion tomorrow night.
"He might not do an awful lot depending on how he is and how he is feeling.
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"Saturday may come too quickly for him given that he has come back from this injury so quickly, but if not Saturday then I would imagine in the week leading up to Doncaster he will be fully at it."
Maguire has scored six league goals for the Black Cats and his return to play a part in the run-in would be a timely boost for Ross.
But Sunderland have been in excellent form even without Maguire and go into tomorrow's game against the Brewers on the back of three successive league wins which have seen them draw level on points with second-placed Barnsley, while retaining two games in hand of the Tykes.
Ross will make a late call on whether to involve Aiden McGeady against Burton with the Republic of Ireland international having picked up a foot injury at Accrington Stanley last week - which also kept him out of the weekend win at Rochdale.
Ross said: "Aiden did a little bit [of training] today and we will see how he reacts to that over the course of today and tomorrow.
"It was an impact injury to Aiden's foot that he suffered at Accrington in a heavy challenge near the corner flag. It's been quite painful but he was desperate to be involved last Saturday but he couldn't have been.
"He is also desperate to be involved tomorrow but one, we have to make sure he is right, and two, we don't want to do anything that might see him ruled out for a significant period."
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Lee Cattermole will not feature against Burton due to the ongoing ankle issue that has kept him out of the last two games, but he is expected to resume training this week and could be back in contention against Coventry.
And Lynden Gooch has been ruled out of tomorrow's game with the hamstring injury he suffered at Rochdale, and joins long-termers Duncan Watmore , Adam Matthews, and Reece James on the sidelines.
"Lee will be absent again but will hopefully be back training with us midweek," said Ross.
"The longer-term absentees who missed out on Saturday will remain out, and Lynden who picked up a hamstring problem at the weekend will also be out."
