Sunderland full-back Niall Huggins has suffered another injury setback after pulling his hamstring.
What’s the latest on Huggins’ injury?
Huggins, who arrived from Leeds United back in 2021, has had a horrible few years at The Stadium of Light. The 22-year-old missed the majority of last season through injury, making just four senior appearances, and has turned out just twice during the current campaign.
His only Championship appearance came back in November against Birmingham City, with the left-back being hailed as “fantastic” by manager Tony Mowbray after he completed the full 90 minutes. However, he hasn’t been included in a second-tier matchday squad since, with his last appearance coming at Fulham in the FA Cup back in January.
Huggins has turned out for Sunderland’s U21s against former side Leeds last month and was due to feature against Nottingham Forest on Monday before suffering another setback.
The Sunderland Echo provided an update regarding Huggins in the last 48 hours. They stated that Huggins was set to start the Premier League 2 fixture at Eppleton CW but had to be replaced by Ben Crompton after pulling his hamstring in the warm-up.
Could that be Huggins’ season over?
Hamstring injuries can keep players out for a few days or in a worst-case scenario up to six weeks, however, with Huggins’ injury issues, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if we didn’t see him feature under Mowbray again this season.
His contract still has another two years left to run, so could well remain a Sunderland player heading into the 2023/24 season, however, it could be a make-or-break campaign for the player.
A third year in succession of numerous injury problems could result in The Black Cats looking to move the player on, especially after making a handful of first-team appearances in his first few years.
It must be an extremely difficult time for the player, though, so hopefully, he can find a way to stay fit for the rest of the year, looking to force his way into Mowbray’s plans.