Sunderland have their fingers crossed the Jermain Defoe's thigh injury is not as bad as first thought.

The 33-year-old striker sustained the problem during the Black Cats' pre-season training camp in France and was expected to be sidelined for a few weeks.

With the new Premier League season set to kick off in mid-August, it was understood that Defoe may miss the beginning of the campaign but first-team coach Robbie Stockdale is hoping for some positive news.

"I will be perfectly honest, Jermain has been for his scan and we're all hopeful it's not as bad as first feared," he told the club's official website.

"I wouldn't want to put a date on it but Jermain will be eager to be back fit as soon as possible, and although we won't take risks with him the news we got was positive."