LEE Cattermole is at least a month away from returning to his best form, according to Sunderland boss Steve Bruce.
The combative midfielder is back in the team but struggled at times during a difficult first half of the home draw against Wigan on Saturday – a clear hangover from a long lay-off with a knee injury for the influential Cattermole.
The 21-year-old was irresistible in the early weeks of the season and formed a tough-as-teak partnership with hard tackling Lorik Cana during the autumn months.
However, with both having suffered time out with injury and suspensions, their authority has diminished somewhat.
Bruce knows that is a temporary situation and confidently predicts both with return to their best – although it may take time in the case of Cattermole.
A 12-week lay-off after the Liverpool game was only ended on December 15 and Cattermole has had hamstring problems since.
He said: “It is going to take him three or four weeks to get anywhere near the condition he was when he was playing his best football for us.
“He missed a large chunk of the season – he has been out for three months and that takes its toll.
“In the summer they do not play for six weeks and we have them back to play seven or eight friendlies to get them back to their best.
“At the moment he is playing catch up, but there is no more genuine lad than him and he will get back to his best, no doubt about it.”
Bruce says he does not want to make excuses for the slump in form, but points to injury misfortune as mitigation for a run of 11 league games without a victory.
Although patience is usually in short supply in the “jam today” world of the Premier League, Bruce finds himself asking for perspective and time before judgement is delivered on his Sunderland revolution.
He added: “I think we will have a truer picture in a three or four weeks of where we are.
“I know from experience if you miss a big chunk of the season it takes you as long as you were out injured to get back.
“We have not lost to Wigan or to Portsmouth.
“The draws are frustrating, but it is important to lose to those teams.
“We have been right in games, we just need that bit of luck.
“I know we are capable of going to Portsmouth and picking up the result and that will kick start everything.
“The signs are there for me – I have seen little signs we are about to turn it around.
“The longer Saturday went on the better we got and if there was one team going to win the game by the end I thought it was us.”
Injuries remain a theme of Sunderland’s season, and though Bruce has some big hitters back he is still without John Mensah, Kieran Richardson and Anton Ferdinand.
All expect to be back in training before the end of the week, but none will figure tonight.
