Ghana defender John Mensah has been handed a last-gasp chance to save his Sunderland career.
The injury-prone defender was expected to be out for the rest of the season after pulling a groin earlier this month.
It put the on-loan centre-back’s hopes of a permanent £6m move from French club Lyon in the balance with boss Steve Bruce reticent to sanction a deal due to the 28-year-old’s appalling fitness record.
Mensah has made just 27 Premier League starts - from a possible 67 games - in two season-long loan stints at the Stadium of Light due to a chronic back problem and a long list of other knocks to make him a regular visitor to the treatment room.