The top player of Sunderland extended absence due to a catastrophic injury
Niall Huggins sustained a serious knee injury during Sunderland‘s weekend loss to Coventry City. As a result, he will likely miss the start of next season as well as the remainder of this one.
Within the last ten minutes of the match at the Stadium of Light, the Wales U21 international defender was being stretchered off after collapsing to the ground in apparent pain.
The 23-year-old has since had a scan. Huggins is expected to miss ‘at least’ the remaining games of the 2023–24 season, according to a statement from the club, though no firm date has been set for his return.
“Sunderland AFC confirms that Niall Huggins will undergo surgery following a significant knee injury,” the statement read.
The Wales international landed awkwardly and had to be replaced in the 85th minute of the team’s match against Coventry City.
Read more: Sunderland looks to improve their goal-scoring struggles against the weakest defense in the championship.
Read more: Sunderland made amends for their weekend defeat at Coventry with their victory at Hull.
“At this time, there is no set timeline for the defender’s return to action, but it is anticipated that he will miss at least the remaining games of the 2023–24 campaign.
At this extremely trying time, everyone at SAFC is pulling for Niall, and they will do everything in their power to get him back on the field as soon as possible.”
The news is a significant setback for Huggins, whose injury-plagued time at Sunderland continues. He moved from Leeds United to the Black Cats in the summer of 2021, but in his first two years on
Wearside, he only made eight appearances across all competitions due to a string of chronic injuries, which included a heel problem and a stress fracture in his back.
However, he made a full recovery this season and had been playing well before suffering this most recent injury. Prior to that, he had started 17 of Sunderland’s last 18 games.
