AJI ALESE will return to the Sunderland squad for tomorrow’s play-off semi-final decider at Luton Town, but Alex Pritchard and Patrick Roberts are both “touch and go” for the second-leg game at Kenilworth Road.

Pritchard and Roberts both hobbled off during the second half of Saturday’s 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light. Neither player has sustained a serious long-term injury, but while one was able to train this morning, the other was not. They will both be reassessed in the morning, before Tony Mowbray makes a final decision on whether they will start tomorrow night.

“Pritchard and Roberts are touch and go, I would suggest,” said the Sunderland head coach. “They might both make it, they both might not make it, or one might make it, we’ll have to wait and see.

“I sit here today not really knowing. One of them trained today, one of them didn’t, so let’s see if there’s a reaction. The other one is saying, ‘In 24 hours I should be better’. Let’s see how things are tomorrow.”

Alese has been sidelined since suffering a thigh injury at the start of March, but the defender has been building up his fitness in the last fortnight.

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He was not considered for Saturday’s first leg, but is set to be named on the substitutes’ bench tomorrow, with his height and physicality making him a potentially valuable asset if Luton are launching an aerial bombardment in the closing stages of the game.

“Alese trained today, which is good,” said Mowbray. “I’ve discussed with him about maybe being on the bench. He’s a six foot three kid who can run up and down all day, so maybe we’ll get him on the pitch if they’re chasing a goal and putting things into our box.

“It would be good to have someone over the height of six foot in there to be able to head it out. We’re not too far away from what we were the other day, but it’s good to have Alese and (Niall) Huggins back training.”