Dwight Yorke is set to make his first Sunderland start at Ipswich on Saturday.
The 34-year-old striker came off the bench to make his Sunderland debut in the draw with Leicester at the Stadium of Light last weekend.
Yorke got his chance just 15 minutes into the game when Daryl Murphy limped off with a hamstring injury.
Roy Keane, Sunderland's manager, has admitted that it was not his intention to play his former Manchester United team-mate for so long.
But after some rest and rehab - and a week's training - Keane says the Trinidad and Tobago man is in good shape.
He said: "It was tough for Dwight because he needs his match sharpness but we hope he feels the benefits, I thought he did well.
"We wanted him to get involved, but probably not for 80 minutes. He'll be a lot better for it and has a good chance of getting involved at the weekend.
"I still believe that when your season starts it takes seven or eight games to get in the full swing of things so I'm hoping thetre's a bit more from most of the players."