Corry Evans has announced his comeback in style during Sunderland U21’s defeat to Newcastle United today.
Corry Evans hasn’t stepped foot on a pitch since suffering a serious knee injury during Sunderland’s clash with Middlesbrough in January 2023.
The midfielder has been sidelined ever since, though was previously spotted in first-team training last month and wasscheduled to play with the U21s.
However, it was then confirmed that Evans had suffered a setback and would return to the treatment table, as the first team continued their horrific run of defeats in the Championship.
They have now been issued one positive though, with the veteran finally making his return as he started for the U21s against Newcastle United this afternoon.
Evans started alongside the likes of Timothee Pembele, Pierre Ekwah, Bradley Dack and Mason Burstow, while journalist James Copley shared photos on X of Patrick Roberts, Jack Clarke, Anthony Patterson, Dan Neil and Luke O’Nien all in attendance to show their support.
While fans were delighted to see Evans back in action, he took it a step further when he scored an absolute ‘belter’ from 25-30 yards out to equalise against the Magpies.
The 33-year-old was then substituted at half-time, before Newcastle went onto claim all three points in the Premier League 2.
Journalist Matty Hewitt also claimed that Evans had looked ‘really sharp’ in his first half performance at the Academy of Light, making promising reading for fans.
The Northern Ireland international will be eager to return to first team action after the international break, but in the mean time he would feature for the U21s once again as they host Leicester City on Friday evening.
Should Corry Evans start for Sunderland when he is fit?
There is no guarantee that Evans will ever reach the standard he was at over a year ago, especially as he approaches his 34th birthday. However, he could be exactly what Sunderland are in desperate need of in the final eight games of the season.
The Black Cats have really been lacking in leadership since the likes of Danny Batth and Alex Pritchard left the club, while midfield is one position they have looked particularly weak in for a while now.
With Dan Neil having to drop further back on many occasions this term, Evans could be the perfect addition to Sunderland’s team and will allow his younger teammate to push forward and have more of an impact on the attack.
Evans is not exactly the most exciting of players, but maybe that’s just what we need right now.