It may be the international break but there has been plenty going on at the Stadium of Light during the club's Championship hiatus with a number of first team players returning to action and a new contract handed out.

The international break came at a good time for Mike Dodds and his side after a seven game run without a win, including six consecutive defeats before a goalless draw with Queens Park Rangers at the Stadium of Light. 

It's a run of form which has dampened the mood on Wearside with the season effectively over barring any continued slide towards the wrong end of the table over the course of the remaining eight games which begin in Cardiff on Good Friday.

Dodds will be hoping he can count on a number of returning players to his squad for the trip to South Wales to kick-off the Easter schedule with the likes of Bradley Dack, Corry Evans and Aji Alese all featuring for the club's under-21s over the international break as they step up their recovery programmes following lengthy injury lay-offs. 

Evans has been out of action since January 2023 with a serious knee injury while Dack has been missing since Boxing Day's win over Hull City with a hamstring problem and Alese having made just three appearances this season.

Former West Ham United defender Alese has, however, been handed a new deal which will keep him at the Stadium of Light until 2027 but for both Dack and Evans, these final eight games could be crucial when it comes to their futures in the North East with Evans out of contract and the club yet to decide on their option of an extra year with Dack.

The futures of both Dack and Evans are discussed in the latest We Are Sunderland briefing with Matty Hewitt and Joe Ramage as well as Jack Clarke's contract situation following recent comments made by the players' agent and the club's search for a new head coach this summer.

You can view our latest briefing here or via our YouTube channel. 

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