Sunderland captain Corry Evans exploring future aspirations as he continues recovery from injury setback

Sunderland captain Corry Evans says now is the perfect time to explore taking his coaching badges as he continues to recover from a long-term injury setback.

The 32-year-old has been sidelined since January after after suffering damage to his anterior cruciate ligament and is expected to miss the start of the 2023/24 season.

Evans has still been an influential figure in the dressing room at Sunderland in recent months, but has been taking part in the Irish FA UEFA B professional coaching course this week.

“As a player you just really focus on playing,” said Evans during a video which was posted on Northern Ireland’s Twitter account. ”You don’t really think about the other side of the game in terms of the detail that goes into what coaches plan, the small details of how they want you to approach the ball for example, or your body position, a lot of things as a player you just sort of do naturally.

“I think it’s been good to see the other side and you definitely have a lot more appreciation for what coaches do, the meticulous planning that has to be done to be at a high level.”

Evans has a year left on his contract at Sunderland, after signing a new deal in February, while the club have an option to extend that agreement by a further year.

But while the midfielder still feels he has plenty to offer on the pitch, he is also considering his next steps.

“I think I have always liked that side of the game,” said Evans when discussing his coaching aspirations. “When you get to sort of my age now the natural progression is always to try and stay in football.

“When you have a love for football you just want to be involved in it, I think that’s sort of the natural progression.

“At this time of my career also I’m injured at the minute with a long-term injury so this would be a good chance for me to come away and use my time wisely while I’m injured.

“Usually in the summer we have international games in May, June, play-offs. I was in the play-offs last year, you don’t get much of a break.

“This is a perfect time for myself with the situation I’m in to explore this.”