Sunderland name strong team for Gateshead match as Jobe Bellingham starts - with Nectarios Triantis present

Sunderland have named a strong side for their pre-season friendly against Gateshead - with new signing Jobe Bellingham set to make his first appearance for the club.

The game against Gateshead will be Sunderland’s second of the day after Tony Mowbray’s side beat South Shields 4-3 at 1st Cloud Arena.

A mixture of first-team and youth players have been taken to both matches as the squad gain valuable minutes ahead of the new campaign.

Sunderland still have a handful of players unavailable due to injuries, including Ross Stewart, Corry Evans, Elliot Embleton, Aji Alese and Dennis Cirkin.

This will be Bellingham’s first Sunderland appearance following his arrival from Birmingham last month.

Defender Nectarios Triantis, who joined Sunderland from Australian side Central Coast Mariners earlier this summer, is in attendance at the Gateshead International Stadium but hasn’t been named in the squad.

Sunderland XI to play Gateshead: Bass, Hume, Ballard, Anderson, Johnson, Huggins, Neil, Bellingham, Roberts, Bennette, Pritchard

Subs: Fieldson, Wilson, Bainbridge, Burke, Bell, Thompson, Sakete, Spellman, Jones, Robertson, Tutierov, Chiabi, Whittaker, Waters