A SQUAD of 31 Sunderland players headed for Spain today as the Black Cats step up their preparations for the coming Championship campaign.

Simon Moore, Nectar Triantis and Abdoullah Ba are all included in the travelling party, despite missing Saturday's pre-season friendly double header against South Shields and Gateshead through injury.

Summer signing Alan Browne is travelling having missed the weekend fixtures.

Long-term absentees Niall Huggins and Jenson Seelt are also part of the squad as the duo continue their rehabilitation programme.

Highly-rated youngster Tommy Watson will travel, an indication that the 18-year-old has impressed new boss Regis Le Bris in the early stages of pre-season.

But Matty Young isn't part of the squad, with the teenage goalkeeper instead close to finalising a loan move, it's understood. League Two side Salford have been strongly linked with the 17-year-old, who impressed enormously during a stint with Darlington in National League North in the second half of last season.

With Young absent, 20-year-old Kelechi Chibueze will join Anthony Patterson and new recruit Moore as the travelling keepers.

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Sunderland's players make the trip to  Alicante today and will spend seven days in Costa Blanca.

The Black Cats face Nottingham Forest this Friday before taking on Segunda Divisón club CD Eldense on Sunday. Both games will kick off at 7pm local time and be played at the Pinatar Arena, which is located in San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia.

Former Everton defender Joe Anderson is part of the squad on the back of spending last season on loan at Shrewsbury. Aji Alese and Dennis Cirkin, who both endured injury struggles last season but returned at the back end of the campaign, also travel.

Huggins and Seelt are not yet close to a return but will continue their own rehab programmes in Spain.

Elliot Embleton and Jay Matete, who returned to action at Gateshead on Saturday after their loan spells at Derby and Oxford respectively were cut short because of injury last season, are part of the travelling squad, as is Chris Rigg on the back of signing his first professional deal with the club.

Watson, who came off the bench in the late stages of the final day defeat to Sheffield Wednesday last season, will be desperate to catch the eye, as will the three travelling strikers, Hemir, Eliezer Mayenda and Nazariy Rusyn, who all struggled in their first campaign on Wearside.

After their return from Spain, Sunderland will travel to Blackpool on Saturday, July 27 before a trip to Bradford City three days later. Their final pre-season game will take place on the weekend of August 3/4 but opponents are yet to be confirmed.

The Black Cats kicked off their summer with a 5-0 win at Shields on Saturday before losing 2-1 at Gateshead.

Sunderland's Spain squad:

Goalkeepers: Patterson, Moore, Chibueze

Defenders: Cirkin, O’Nien, Ballard, Hume, Alese, Hjelde, Pembele, Anderson, Triantis, Huggins, Seelt

Midfielders: Neil, Browne, Rigg, Ekwah, Embleton, Matete, Mundle, Aouchiche, Watson Clarke, Jobe, Roberts, Bennette, Ba

Strikers: Mayenda, Rusyn, Hemir.