Mundle returned to the matchday squad as the Black Cats lost to Leeds United on Monday night, but was not deemed to be ready to feature in the game at Elland Road.
The winger has been sidelined since suffering a serious hamstring injury in November, and Regis Le Bris did not feel comfortable throwing him into such an intense occasion after so long on the sidelines.
Mundle has spent the rest of this week in full training at the Academy of Light, and Le Bris is confident he is now ready to feature at the weekend if required.
Watson is yet to return to full training as he continues to recover from an ankle issue though, and will once again be missing against Hull. The teenager is due to step up his recovery programme next week, although it remains to be seen whether he will be available for the trip to face Sheffield Wednesday next Friday night.
“Romaine should be okay now,” said Le Bris, whose side slipped eight points adrift of the automatic-promotion places when they conceded in the 95th minute at Elland Road. “We felt against Leeds it was just a little bit too soon.
READ MORE:
“It’s not just about the minutes, it’s about a strong opponent in and out of possession. We didn’t think at this moment he was ready for that. But he has had one more week working with us, so now I think it should be okay.
“I think he is ready now. We didn’t rush the process at Leeds, especially because of the intensity of that game. We felt it was just a little bit too early for him but for now, I think it will be okay.
“It is the same with Browney (Alan Browne), I think he is ready now to get some minutes. Tommy will be back in full training next week.”
Daniel Farke changed the course of Monday’s game when he turned to his substitutes’ bench, bringing on Pascal Struijk, who scored both of Leeds’ goals with headers, and Joe Rothwell, who delivered the free-kick that led to the home side’s equaliser.
For most of this season, Le Bris’ substitute options have been extremely limited, but the situation is finally beginning to improve, much to the head coach’s relief.
Mundle and Browne are likely to feature against Hull at some stage on Saturday, with Watson’s impending return set to further boost Sunderland’s squad depth.
“I hope we will have more options now,” said Le Bris. “I think our bench is the strongest it has been. It is good to refresh the team because the other players have played a lot of minutes, they need help and energy. So, if we manage a little bit of depth in the squad, this will be better for us for sure.”
