TONY Mowbray hopes Ross Stewart can finalise a new contract at Sunderland “in the near future” after club captain Corry Evans this week extended his stay on Wearside.

Stewart is back at the Academy of Light and has started the rehabilitation process after surgery on his season-ending Achilles injury.

Stewart's contract is due to expire at the end of this season but with the club having the option of exercising a year-long extension, there's effectively 18 months left to run on his deal.

But Mowbray understandably wants Sunderland to tie the star striker down on a long-term deal and last week told of how he expects negotiations to "intensify" despite the striker's injury.

Mowbray was delighted Evans - who is also out injured - was handed a new deal this week. And wants Stewart to be next to agree terms.

"We all hope so," said Sunderland's head coach.

"It's not something I can really comment on because I don't get involved in it but again the coaching staff have let everybody know how important it is. But I think everybody knows how important Ross Stewart is for this football club and we hope there's positive news to come out of that as well.

"I have nothing to report at the moment, but Ross is a big personality in the dressing room as well as a huge player on the pitch for the team. We'd all hope something could be sorted and announced in the near future."

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After surgery on his Achilles, Stewart went to his native Scotland for the very early stages of his recovery, but is now back on Wearside. And despite not being available for selection, Mowbray says Stewart and Evans still have important roles to play off the pitch in the remainder of the season.

Mowbray said: "Ross has been around. He's good to be around, he's a really positive guy. It's important to come and do rehabilitation in the training ground and be around all the lads.

"He's an important figure in the dressing room. So while he might have a big plaster on his leg, he's still got an opinion on what's right and wrong and what we should and shouldn't be doing. They're really important to have around the building."