Duncan Watmore reveals the unconventional way he's keeping busy during Sunderland's fixture suspension

Duncan Watmore isn’t your conventional footballer.
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With a degree in Economics and a keen sense of charity, the Sunderland star is the antithesis of many people’s perception of the modern day footballer.

It’s no surprise, then, to find out the unconventional way he’s spending his free time after the League One campaign was suspended.

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The forward is currently undertaking a Masters Degree alongside his playing commitments, and is taking this opportunity to focus on his final project.

Sunderland star Duncan WatmoreSunderland star Duncan Watmore
Sunderland star Duncan Watmore

Speaking to the Ornstein & Chapman Podcast, Watmore said: “Most mornings are taken up by exercise, going on 5 or 10K runs - whatever our sports scientist has set for that day.

“But the majority of the day I've been working on my dissertation which is due in about eight weeks time for my Masters in International Leadership, Business and Management.

“The dissertation I'm doing is on Common Goal - the charity I'm a member of and I donate to. It's this idea that all footballers give one per cent of their annual earnings to use football as a positive tool for change.

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“It's something I feel quite passionate about and it's something that hasn't quite grown as I expected or hoped, so this dissertation is around where is the best route to grow Common Goal.”

Equally important for Watmore, though, is keeping on top of his fitness – and ensuring he retains the robustness that he feels has come back to his game in recent months

“It's obviously been a very bad three years,” he admitted.

“But I feel since I first did my knee, which was three and a bit years ago, I feel as fit as I have done since then which is great.

“I've had six or seven months without any real injuries where I've been available for every game and I was just starting to get into the swing of things and obviously now we can't play anymore.

But I'm very happy with my personal level of fitness and how my body is coping. I feel as robust as I have done in a long time.”

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