Ex-Sunderland and Coventry City defender ready to hit the ground running at new club after injury setback

Former Sunderland and Coventry defender Jordan Willis says he’s ready to hit the ground running after signing for League One side Northampton.

The 29-year-old centre-back officially left Sunderland last year after suffering a ruptured patella tendon during a match against Shrewsbury in 2019. He remained at the Academy of Light as he completed his rehabilitation, before signing for Wycombe on a short-term deal in February this year.

Willis made nine League One appearances for Wycombe but was released at the end of last season. The defender has been without a club since May but signed for Northampton on a short-term deal, which will run until January, last week.

The Cobblers’ next League One fixture will come after the international break at Bolton, when Willis could make his debut.

"I’ve already been here for a while and it’s going well,” the centre-back told Northampton’s website. “It’s been good to get some training under my belt and meet with the lads. They seem a great bunch and now I’ve signed a deal I can’t wait to get going.

"The club’s in a good place and you can tell that from just one week of training. You can see the quality of the squad and hopefully I can add to that and help the club progress.”

"I know a couple of the lads. I’ve had two spells with Lee Burge at Sunderland and Coventry and I played alongside Ryan Haynes at Coventry as well. We all came through around the same time at Coventry so it’s been good to see them again.

"I came through as a 17-year-old at Coventry and then continued playing there until I was about 24 before I spent two seasons at Sunderland. I had a good six months at Wycombe last season after joining in January. I managed to play a good few games and now I’m feeling fit and feeling well and I’m ready to hit the ground running.”

Following Willis’ arrival, Northampton boss Jon Brady said: "We are delighted to welcome Jordan to the club. He is a defender with a huge amount of experience, particularly of playing in League One and we feel he will help add depth to the squad in a key position.”