Niall Huggins thought his professional career was over after a ‘horrendous’ two years at Sunderland.
Speaking to Press Association (via the Sunderland Echo), the defender has opened up on a ‘tough’ spell on the sidelines ahead of his potential international debut for Wales.
Niall Huggins was highly-rated when he arrived at Sunderland from Leeds United in 2021, however supporters were rarely able to see him in action as he made only five league starts in his first two seasons on Wearside.
The full-back’s early career was plagued with injuries, suffering a stress fracture in his back upon his arrival and going onto struggle with a number of different problems as a result.
Huggins has admitted he had really doubted whether he would have a future in football, saying: “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.
“I had the same sort of issue but in different places when I was doing my rehab and it was something we struggled to get to the bottom of.
“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.
“Yes, 100 per cent [feared for my career]. It got to the point where every time I was doing the rehab, the first few steps back on the grass, it was always there in the back of my mind.
“I would think: ‘Is this going to happen again?’ And you do start to worry. The years are going by on the contract and you are worrying about it.
“When I did finally start to get fit, it helped so much mentally. But it is still hard to look back on.”
Where does Niall Huggins go from here?
Niall Huggins has definitely proven himself since returning from injury, taking advantage of a full pre-season under his belt. The 22-year-old was thrown into the team following an injury to Dennis Cirkin and hasn’t looked back since.
The full-back showed how much his confidence has grown with his brilliant solo goal against Watford and he has continued to get forward and pose a threat to his opposing counterparts.
Huggins is extremely deserving of his Wales call-up and now really just needs to work on his defensive attributes, but at 22 he still has plenty of time to become a top defender.
The Leeds United academy graduate still has another two years on his contract, but we can surely expect to see him earn a pay rise from his £3,846-per-week terms that he is currently raking in, if he can keep up the great form.