---
title: "Sunderland: Josh Bunting buzzing that Daniel Ballard is back in training"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/sunderland-team-news-ballard-injury-championship/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Adam Clancy"
section: "Championship News"
published: "2022-10-22T10:35:55Z"
modified: "2022-10-22T10:35:55Z"
---

# Sunderland: Josh Bunting buzzing that Daniel Ballard is back in training

**Journalist and [Sunderland](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/sunderland-afc-news/) supporter Josh Bunting has been left buzzing over the news that Daniel Ballard is back in training.**

### The Lowdown: Fractured foot

The 23-year-old has been out for more than two months with a [fractured foot](https://safc.com/news/team-news/2022/august/ballard-suffers-fractured-foot), having signed from Premier League leaders Arsenal in the summer.

The defender has only managed to play [189](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/daniel-ballard/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/503686/plus/0?saison=&verein=289&liga=&wettbewerb=&pos=&trainer_id=) minutes of [Championship](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/championship-news/) football so far for the Black Cats, none since 13 August, and he will no doubt be itching to get back onto the pitch as soon as he can.

### The Latest: Ballard back in training

Sunderland posted an image of a smiling Ballard back in training on their official [Twitter](https://twitter.com/SunderlandAFC/status/1583092761762631681) channel on Thursday afternoon, which left [Bunting](https://twitter.com/Buntingfootball/status/1583094564231208961) delighted.

He shared the image to his Twitter profile, along with the caption: *“This makes me very, very happy.”*

\[freshpress-quiz id=”410591″\]

### The Verdict: Big boost for Sunderland

It is certainly a big boost for Tony Mowbray and Sunderland to have Ballard back in training after so long out.

Bunting was [thrilled](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/sunderland-afc-news/daniel-ballard-transfer-news-championship/) upon the Wearside club first signing him, calling the 23-year-old ‘absolutely outstanding’ in the air and praising the fact that he ‘reads the game very well’, is ‘mobile’ and ‘can carry a lot of ground’.

The Northern Ireland international has previous [experience](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/daniel-ballard/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/503686/plus/0?saison=&verein=&liga=&wettbewerb=GB2&pos=&trainer_id=) in the Championship with Millwall last season and started off this campaign promisingly, ranking highly among his team-mates in terms of average interceptions, clearances and blocks per match in the division ([WhoScored](https://www.whoscored.com/Teams/16/Show/England-Sunderland)).

It is good for the Black Cats’ supporters to see Ballard back in training as he looks to step up his recovery.