Sunderland skipper Corry Evans is aiming to swap the gym for the grass in the coming weeks as he continues his recovery from long-term injury. The Northen Ireland midfielder suffered cruciate ligament damage in the Black Cats' January win against Middlesbrough on Wearside which cut short his season.
He underwent surgery five months ago before embarking on the long road to rehabilitation, with head coach Tony Mowbray saying at the end of last season that the 32-year-old might not return until Christmas. But Evans has been working hard in the gym over the summer alongside Sunderland's other injured players, and he is hoping the next stage will be for him to finally get out of the Academy of Light building and into the open air.
"I've been in [the gym] all summer," Evans told the club's media channel. "There have been a few of us in - myself, Ross [Stewart], Aji [Alese], Dennis [Cirkin], Danny Batth, Dan Ballard, Embo [Elliot Embleton] - there has been a big group of us.
READ MORE: Former Sunderland captain Max Power set for Saudi Arabia switch after turning down new Wigan deal
JOIN NOW: Get the latest SAFC news to your phone with our new WhatsApp community
"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.
"There are long hours and it can get a bit lonely if you're on your own, so to have those players alongside me with their own injuries and their own journeys has been a bit of a support network. But it's going well. I'm just over five months into it now and I'm getting to that stage where I'm starting to move a bit more.
"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."
The bulk of Sunderland's squad returned to Wearside to start pre-season training at the beginning of last week and they are now building towards their first friendlies this weekend when they take on South Shields on Saturday lunchtime and then Gateshead in the afternoon. They then head out to the USA next week for a ten-day trip which will include three games, before returning for a home friendly against Spanish La Liga side RCD Mallorca at the end of July, and then a final warm-up game at Hartlepool United before the Championship season gets under way against Ipswich Town at the Stadium of Light on August 6.
Evans said: "Pre-season is something you have to do. It is so vital that you get a good pre-season under your belt because it holds you in good stead for the rest of the season and it stops you from picking up injuries.
"It gives you that base of fitness that lasts throughout the season. All the lads have come back and look really fit from their test scores - it's good to see that they have come back in really good nick, and I'm sure they are now looking forward to playing the games and going off to America as well."
