Sunderland defender Niall Huggins has revealed how he feared for his career during his injury nightmare at present club Sunderland, as reported in the Sunderland Echo.
Huggins came through the ranks at Leeds United before joining Sunderland in the summer of 2021 and he has been a regular in Tony Mowbray’s side this term as they go in search of a second successive playoff finish. The fullback has had to be patient for his opportunity in the first team thanks to a stress fracture in his back that he sustained shortly after leaving Elland Road.
Huggins underwent months of treatment and had to overcome so issues related to the initial injury before finally being able to complete a full pre-season this summer and working his way to being a regular in the starting eleven. Included in his 13 games so far this season has been his first senior goal in Sunderland’s 2-0 victory against Watford and the York-born player has been rewarded with a call-up to Rob Page’s Wales squad for their matches with Armenia and Turkey.
The near two-year lay-off has left Huggins delighted with his comeback but he admits that he still finds it difficult when he looks back to his long spell out of football, particularly as there was little explanation as to what the problems were after the back fracture. The defender admits the feeling of being called up to the Welsh squad is an ‘amazing’ feeling after making an excellent start to the campaign with the Mackems.
When discussing his injury problems, Huggins told the Press Association, “The last two years have been horrendous, awful to be honest. When I first joined Sunderland, I suffered an initial stress fracture in my back and that put me out for four or five months.”
“There was never a reason for why it was happening. All the tests we did, nothing ever seemed to stand out. It was just that the bones were weak, which made it tough,” he continued. When asked whether he feared for his career, the 22-year-old said, “Yes, 100 per cent.”
Writer’s View
Huggins has performed well across his outings for Sunderland this season and has deservedly received an international call-up to Rob Page’s squad. After such a long period out of the game, the Sunderland man will be delighted with how the opening months of the season have panned out.
His versatility will be a help to him in holding down his spot in the starting eleven as Mowbray has a selection of fullbacks to choose from but if he continues the form he is showing then he will be hard to displace from the Mackems side and will find himself a regular in the Welsh squad.
A primary school teacher turned writer, Tom has been part of The Real EFL for two years. He focuses on predictions, deep dives, and insightful content.
