Niall Huggins' 'brutal' struggle with injuries has wrecked his first two seasons at Sunderland - but Tony Mowbray believes this summer will be pivotal for the defender. Huggins joined the Black Cats from Leeds United in the summer of 2021 but has been restricted to just half-a-dozen first-team outings, with his catalogue of injuries including a stress fracture of the back, a heel problem, and an ankle issue.
He completed 90 minutes in Sunderland's win at Birmingham in November in what was his first outing for more than a year, but since then he has managed just 45 minutes in the FA Cup draw at Fulham at the end of January. The 22-year-old has been back in training recently and played for the U21s last month at Leeds, and was due to play for the U21s against Nottingham Forest on Monday night but was withdrawn from the starting line-up shortly before kick-off as a precaution due to a minor hamstring issue.
Mowbray says the hamstring problem is not serious and Huggins could return to training as soon as tomorrow, but in the bigger picture he wants to avoid putting pressure on the full-back to rush back after such a long absence, insisting that he really needs a proper pre-season behind him. "I think when you've had a few major injury concerns, it's difficult coming back from them," said Mowbray.
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"His body is probably giving him warning signs, I suppose. There's no real injury there - he might train tomorrow, or in the next few days I would think.
"My thought on it is that he needs to have a really good pre-season, if he can. There's no urgency for us to rush him back and, as we've seen when he has played, he is a very, very talented young guy.
"He's energetic, he's alert, he can travel with the ball, he can attack, he can defend one-on-one - he's got all the attributes. He just needs the foundation, really.
"It's a bit difficult at the moment for him but we will continue to support him and hopefully he can get himself into shape, gradually build himself up without the pressure of trying to get fit for a match, and then in pre-season he can play games and stay fit, then it's down to him to try and break into the team."
Rather than set a game for Huggins to target for a comeback, Mowbray is content to let him work his way to fitness at his own pace. He said: "I want Niall to knock on my door and say he's ready, rather than tell him what to do.
"It's been pretty brutal for him, to be honest, and he is a human being and a normal guy with emotions and I know he was a bit upset the other night. We need to support him through this period, not tell him what he has to do and then him get frustrated and disappointed if he breaks down again.
"Hopefully his body can withstand the rigours of the way we train and the way we play, and at somestage he will be there competing to get in the team on a regular basis."
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