Sunderland figure issues update on 'heartbreaking' injury blow

Sunderland U21s assistant coach John Hewitson has admitted that the latest injury blow suffered by teenage striker Jake Waters is “heartbreaking” for the player.

The 18-year-old sustained a serious knee injury during Monday evening’s Premier League 2 defeat to Liverpool, and an update from the Black Cats prior to Friday’s Premier League Cup loss against Sheffield United suggested that the extent of the complaint was “significant”, with a “period of time on the sidelines” anticipated.

Cruelly, Waters has already had to come back from a similar injury once before in his fledgling career, and speaking after Friday’s clash against the Blades, Hewitson emphasised that the starlet has the strength of character to do so again. He said: “With Jake, it's heartbreaking really because he's had a similar injury in the past and he's worked ever so hard to get back to full fitness. 

The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel.

“I see it every day in terms of when he's doing his gym work, he's doing his rehab work, he's out on the pitch. The medical department have worked extremely hard and just something innocuous on Monday night has set him back. He was strong enough to deal with the first time, he'll certainly be as strong to make sure that he gets back to where he needs to be.”

Striking a similar tone in a statement released by the Black Cats, academy manager Robin Nicholls also backed Waters to return stronger from his latest setback. He said: “It is a really unfortunate injury for Jake. Having completed his previous period of rehab to an excellent standard and application, the timing of this one will be a blow to him.

“However, knowing Jake's character, he'll face this challenge head-on and come back stronger once again. We firmly believe in Jake, and will support him throughout the rehabilitation journey. At the point of his first injury, he was the sixth-top goalscorer in the U18 Premier League, leading to him signing an early professional contract with the club.”

Waters faced an 18-month injury lay-off when he last injured his knee, and only played his first football of any kind after that blow during this summer’s pre-season campaign in a clash against Hebburn Town last month.