Sunderland captain Corry Evans is preparing to step up his recovery from injury.
The midfielder has told the club’s YouTube channel that he is hopeful of reaching the final stage of his rehabilitation after spending the last six months in the treatment room.
Evans suffered a cruciate ligament injury in Sunderland’s win over Middlesbrough in January before he was forced to undergo surgery and was given a predicted return date of Christmas.
Despite his injury problem, Evans was awarded a contract extension that will see him remain on Wearside until at least next summer.
The 32-year-old has been repaying the club’s loyalty by working extremely hard to make his long awaited comeback.
“I’ve been in [the gym] all summer,” Evans said.
“The other lads have been off on holiday while we have been in working and trying to get fit for the new season. Mentally it’s tough being injured, especially long-term, so to have people going through it with you day-to-day helps you a lot.
“The first stage of this injury is letting the knee settle, and from then on you have to build up the strength. I’m at a good stage now where I am on the altered gravity treadmill which takes the load off your bodyweight when you are running.
“Hopefully within the next week or two I can get outside on the grass and get out of the gym for a change of scenery and to start my running.”
Corry Evans is often underappreciated at Sunderland
Corry Evans has received plenty of stick from Sunderland fans since joining the club in 2021, however it often isn’t until he is out of the team that people begin to understand his quality.
The veteran midfielder appears to be a rather quiet figure considering his captaincy and he arguably isn’t as much of an obvious presence on the pitch to the other ‘flashy’ youngsters, however he is still very important.
Tony Mowbray is a huge fan of the Black Cats captain and clearly knows how vital he is to the team to offer him a new contract. After Evans put pen to paper, Mowbray said: “I know how important he is and the respect he’s got from the rest of the players.
“For the rest of the players and for Corry, the right thing to do, in the moment he’s in, was to give him peace of mind and make sure he knows the club is there to support him through this period.”