Tony Mowbray explains Nazariy Rusyn’s Sunderland situation plus updates on Aji Alese and Pierre Ekwah

Nazariy Rusyn will be available to make his Sunderland debut for this weekend’s Championship match against Cardiff after receiving his visa.

The 24-year-old forward joined The Black Cats from Ukrainian side Zorya Luhansk on transfer deadline day but wasn’t eligible for fixtures against QPR and Blackburn after arriving in the UK.

“He’s got his visa through,” said Mowbray when asked about Rusyn ahead of Sunday’s fixture against Cardiff.

“We’ll assess him in training and see where he is. He’s a young boy, I say a young boy he’s 24.

“The language isn’t great, he’s a nice kid, he looks pretty sharp. Whether he’s ready to play in our team at the moment is another question.”

Mowbray still has several injury issues ahead of the Cardiff match, with Bradley Dack (hamstring), Pierre Ekwah (dead leg) and Dennis Cirkin (hamstring) still sidelined.

Jewison Bennette is also unavailable with an illness, while Aji Alese is around two weeks away from a returning following a long-term thigh issue.

“Aji is a couple of weeks away,” added Mowbray. “He’s on the grass, not joining in, doing it with physios, kicking a few balls, running around a few cones. Two weeks.

“Dennis is going to be a bit longer than that.”

On Dack and Ekwah, Mowbray added: “I don’t think it will be worth the risk.

“Bradley I think probably could play but we want to give him some time to strengthen it all up and I don’t want to get to a point where he can play 60 minutes and come off and has damaged the problem a little bit more.

“I think we are taking the time while we feel we can afford the time to get him 100 per cent really and I think that’s the wise thing to do for the football club.

“I don’t think he’ll be available and Pierre won’t be available for the weekend.”

After their home game against Cardiff, Sunderland will travel to Sheffield Wednesday next Friday, before home games against Watford and Middlesbrough the following week.

The Middlesbrough match will then be followed by another international break in October.