Paddy: I’ll be back and stronger than ever
PADDY McNair has cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines during his lengthy injury absence – but is convinced he will return a stronger character for the experience.
The Northern Ireland midfielder ruptured his cruciate ligament in November which ended his season prematurely, just as he had begun to find his feet on Wearside following his summer move from Manchester United.
It was the first serious injury of his career and it came as a huge blow to be ruled out of both Sunderland’s fight for Premier League survival and his country’s World Cup qualification campaign.
However, McNair believes his time in the treatment room has taught him to overcome adversity.
“It has been mentally tough,” admitted the 21-year-old, who moved to Wearside from Manchester United last summer.
“I want to be out playing. I am a young lad, that is what you want to do - when you go to the stadium and watch the lads play you just want to be out there.
“It was especially the case last week with Northern Ireland – I missed that for the first time and it was not very nice watching it.
“You just have to deal with setbacks like that and get over them. This is my first serious, serious injury. It is annoying but I have friends and family around me to keep my head up,
“I am sure I will definitely come back stronger.”
Along with the rehab work he has done under the watchful eye of Sunderland’s medical team, McNair has spent downtime at the family farm in Ballyclare, Co Antrim.
That has given him the opportunity to step back from football, take stock and realise how fortunate he is to be playing at the top level in England.
He added “I’ve been back a couple of times. I have not being rounding the cows or the sheep up or anything, I have been staying away from that.
“I have been able to take a walk round the field with the dogs but not putting the knee under any stress.
“You can just sort of reflect on the last few years, what you have done.
“Even watching the games, when you are playing you don’t realise how good it is to be playing, how well you are actually doing. So when you step away from it, you realise that and it makes you want to come back even stronger.”
McNair went on: “You play with so many lads when you are younger.
“When I moved over to United at 14 there were about 30 in the group - I think only two or three are still playing now.
“It just shows you how competitive football is and how hard it is to be a professional footballer, so you pick up a bad injury like this and you appreciate it more I think.
“I still speak to a few lads, not everyone, you go your own ways, but I still speak to a handful at United or playing for different clubs.”
McNair suffered the injury in the first half of Sunderland’s 3-0 win over Hull City at the Stadium of Light in November.
However, he carried on playing and it was only in the final few minutes he was unable to continue and he realised the severity of the problem.
McNair said: “I felt it sort of numb and stiffen up a bit, especially at half-time.
“I thought I had just jarred it, or a wee strain or something.
“Second half I felt alright. I think once in the second half I went in for a slide tackle and felt it but I stayed on until the 88th minute and it just felt normal.
“Even after the game I was jumping around, I didn’t think it was anything serious.
“I came in the next day and it was a bit swollen, I had a scan and then the day after I received the dreaded phone call - cruciate ligaments, season over.”
Sunderland have been dogged by injuries all season, so McNair has hardly been lonely in the treatment room.
In fact, Duncan Watmore sustained a similar injury just a fortnight later and the pair have done much of their rehab work together.
They are back running again but must be careful not to rush their recovery and try to return too soon.