Exclusive: Duncan Watmore on what comes next after his Sunderland departure as he shares a positive fitness update

The forward will see his seven-year stay at Sunderland come to an end when his contract expires on June 30.

And Watmore is prepared to wait and see what opportunities may present themselves in the coming weeks before deciding upon his next steps.

“I try and stay away from all that and let my agent do all that, so I couldn’t tell you that,” he said, speaking exclusively to the Echo.

“It’s all happened so quickly so I’m just letting it sink in, and I’ll just focus on staying fit.

“Most football clubs don’t know what’s going on at the moment and there’s just so much uncertainty. I’ve just got to wait and see and play it by ear, but I’ll be ready for what comes next.”

For the time being, Watmore is focusing on maintaining his fitness – having seen some real signs of progression in recent months.

“I’ve been getting myself in a really good place and my body is holding up.

“I’m doing lots of running and I feel really fit in that respect.

“I don’t know what comes next because the future is so uncertain with everything going on in the world and with football at the moment, so I’ll just have to wait and see.

“But I’m getting myself into a good position physically and mentally so I can embrace what comes next.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

How to subscribe to the print edition

It’s easy to subscribe to your local newspaper. We have arranged a special 20 per cent off subscription offer for people to take advantage of. Visit www.localsubsplus.co.uk, choose the newspaper title, the type of subscription and enter your details.