Sunderland: Regis Le Bris makes revelation on Jenson Seelt, Niall Huggins situations | OneFootball

The defensive duo have been out for a long period with injury

Jenson Seelt could return to Sunderland training in January, although it remains to be seen if Niall Huggins will feature again this season.

That's according to Black Cats boss Regis Le Bris, who has been providing an update on the injury recoveries of the defensive duo.

Neither player has made an appearance for the club since the start of this season, after picking up some significant issues during the previous campaign.

There is still some time to go before either player is back in action for Sunderland, although there is still a chance they could feature in the latter stages of the campaign.

Seelt, Huggins injury updates emerge

Having joined the Black Cats last summer, Seelt made 17 appearances for the club last season, before his campaign was ended by a serious knee injury back in March.

He is still waiting to make his return to action, but has seemingly been making progress in his recovery.

There now appears to be a hope that he can return to full training at the turn of the year, with a view to playing a part in the second-half of last season, judging by these latest comments from Le Bris.

Providing an update on Seelt, the Black Cats boss was quoted by The Sunderland Echo as saying: "Jenson is difficult [to know] because it was a big injury. We have different stages and we need to check at different stages.

"He could be ready for January. He'll train with the team and after we'll see. He'll need time with the U21s and we'll see his progression."

Huggins, meanwhile, has been blighted by injury since joining from Leeds back in the summer of 2021, making just 28 appearances in all competitions.

He did, though, sign a new contract at The Stadium of Light earlier this week until the end of the 2025/26 season, with the option of a further 12 months.

That is despite the fact he picked up a knee injury of his own back in December, that could still keep the Wales international out for Sunderland for the whole of this season as well.

Discussing the decision to hand the defender a new deal, and his fitness situation, Le Bris added: "It's so important to feel the confidence of the club. He's a talented player who did very well last season but had a big injury.

"We are still confident he'll be back with us. I don't know if it will be possible at the end of this season. Maybe we'll see, but next season and this is a sign of our confidence.

"We don't know for sure [when he'll be back] because it's a big injury and it's not easy to assess, especially the later stages of rehab."

It has been a strong start to the Championship season for Sunderland, who have picked up 19 points from nine games to sit top of the table going into this weekend.

They are next in action on Sunday afternoon, with a trip to the MKM Stadium to take on Hull City.

Mixed feelings for Sunderland over double injury update

There is a good chance that there will be some positive and negatives to this from a Black Cats perspective.

On the one hand, it does at least seem as though things are moving in the right direction for both Seelt and Huggins, suggesting both can play a part for Sunderland in the future.

However, it is still a long time to go until either will be in contention to feature, especially given they will have to rebuild their match fitness even when they are available again.

Given they have both impressed for the Black Cats in the past, they could well be missed between now and then.

That may also be an issue, since it could leave Le Bris short on the depth he might feel he needs in the defensive areas, as the demands of a season take their toll.

With that in mind, while they cannot rush either player back after so long out, Sunderland will surely still be keen to get Seelt and Huggins back involved as soon as possible.