IT'S almost a year since Corry Evans last played for Sunderland but the club's captain is still not yet back in training with the first team and won't be in contention for a return to action until the middle of February at the very earliest.

It was late January last year when the 33-year-old suffered a serious knee injury in the home win over Middlesbrough.

He's now back in light training with the club's medical staff at the Academy of Light but head coach Michael Beale knows Sunderland will have to continue to tread carefully with the midfielder - who is approaching the end of his contract - after such a long time out of action.

"Corry is a little bit away," said Beale.

"When I came in they said he was still a couple of months away. I've been in nearly four weeks so it's probably four or five weeks before he's back with the team.

"Obviously it was a long term injury and when you come back from that there are always one or two niggles.

"He's out working in isolation with the sports science department but he's not going to be unavailable to play any time soon."

Another player building up his fitness and going through rehabilitation is Elliot Embleton. The midfielder joined Derby on loan earlier in the season but suffered a serious thigh injury that required surgery. The Derby switch officially ended this week and Beale revealed he's hopeful that Embleton still has a part to play for Sunderland in the second half of the season.

"He doesn't seem like he's a million miles away from rejoining the group," said Sunderland's head coach.

"He's another one that is out working with the performance staff to make sure he's getting the very best rehab he can.

"The loan at Derby is now at an end so he's very much back in [here], and when he's ready to go we'll assess from there.

"He's obviously a boy who knows this club and knows what it takes to play for this club, so I've no doubt that he's going to be chomping at the bit to contribute."

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Sunderland are looking to bounce back from last week's derby disappointment at Ipswich tonight (5.30pm). The Tractor Boys have enjoyed a glorious return to the Championship but are winless in five and the gap to third place Southampton is now just three points.

Beale said: "Similar to ourselves last year, if you have a group of players who have the bounce of promotion and the confidence, you can keep running with it.

"Things have been a bit more difficult for them of late with injuries and sometimes the Championship can get to you. Kieran (McKenna) is a coach I know really well, our paths have crossed.

"From the outside looking in I've been willing him to do really well but that will stop on Saturday. But it's great to see a young coach doing well and I'm happy for him and for Ipswich. They're a club like us who spent too much time in League One."

SUNDERLAND PROBABLE XI: Patterson, Hume, Ballard, O'Nien, Alese; Ekwah, Pritchard, Bellingham, Neil, Clarke; Rusyn