The Black Cats club captain may be close to a return to first-team action after two Under-21 performances.
Corry Evans, Sunderland’s captain, hopes to return to the first team, but admits that “any minutes I play between now and the end of the season will be a bonus”.
The 33-year-old Northern Irishman had a catastrophic knee injury against Middlesbrough in January 2023 and required surgery to correct cruciate ligament damage. Evans has been training for three weeks after overcoming the mental and physical strains of the previous year, and he scored in his comeback game for the U21s against Newcastle United, a 3-2 defeat.
He then appeared for the youthful Black Cats against Leicester City in a 4-2 victory and was praised as being a cut above the competition. He feels that after a few more games, he will be ready to return to the first squad.
“I feel good and I had some minutes in the reserves so it’s nice to get out on the pitch and kick the ball about again,” that’s what he said to the club.
“It’s been extremely challenging over the past year. It’s more mental than anything. Being away from football for so long allows you to focus solely on becoming healthy and performing to the best of your abilities.
There are a lot of hard hours in the gym and coming in over the summer when all the guys are off. Personally, it’s been difficult, but it’s also been beneficial to focus on other things, such as going to the gym and working on strength. And the challenge of getting your knee and leg back to the required level. So it’s also been a terrific challenge.
Evans has made good use of his time away from football, saying, “I started my coaching badges last summer and will finish the rest this summer.
That aspect of the game has been something I’ve focused on in order to set myself up for retirement.
“It’s been fantastic to spend more time with my family as well. I have a young family with three children. You know, with football, you’re usually traveling close by most of the week, and you’re also abroad for internationals, so it’s been wonderful for them to have me around.”
The major goal has been to get back out there and play, which he said he enjoyed. It was great to be out there, amongst it all, in a competitive setting.
I’ve been training for the better part of two or three weeks, so it was wonderful to play a game, which is really different from training in terms of intensity, challenges, and so on.
“So it was fantastic to have that little bit of experience, and hopefully I can continue my growth to playing in the first team after a few more games in the reserves.
“My goal is to return to a level of fitness that allows me to feel comfortable with my knee. It feels wonderful right now, and I’m hoping to keep it up towards the end of the season, improve match fitness, and attempt to get some minutes in the first team.There aren’t many games left, but everything I can play between now and the end of the season will be a bonus for me.
“I believe it is vital for me to return. We haven’t been on the finest of runs recently. So it will be good to return and attempt to assist the lads finish the season on a high. Going into next season, it’s critical that we finish the summer on a strong note and look forward to next season.”
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