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In 2016, Sunderland winger Duncan Watmore was one of the hottest prospects in the Premier League. A key member of England under 21s side who won the 2016 Toulon Tournament, Watmore had also been voted the Premier Development League's player of the season for 2014-2015. After continuing to impress coaches with his raw pace and ability, earning comparisons to Gareth Bale, Watmore signed a long-term contract with then Premier League side Sunderland.
It was an amazing rise for a player who had been playing part-time for non-league outfit Altrincham until 2013. And with Watmore improving week on week, fans could be forgiven for believing the Manchester United academy graduate might emulate fellow ex non-leaguer Jamie Vardy by going on to earn a senior England cap.
It was not to be. Watmore's promising career has been cruelly ravaged by a series of injuries, a recurring cruciate ligament problem keeping him out of the game for eighteen months. As if that wasn't bad enough, Watmore sustained yet another injury at the back end of last season, sustaining an ankle injury shortly after scoring against Wycombe.
Watmore's long lay off has coincided with disaster for Sunderland. The Wearside club have been relegated twice and now find themselves playing in League One. In theory, this could be a good thing for Watmore, who has the opportunity to ease himself back in against weaker opposition. But League One is a much more physical competition than the Premier League and Watmore could face a higher risk of injury.
Either way, this season could be make-or-break for Watmore. The 25-year-old has hardly played over the last few seasons and although he has been horrendously unlucky, Sunderland cannot keep paying his wages indefinitely.
Whether Watmore will feature prominently for Sunderland remains to be seen. After his performances at higher levels, there is surely no doubt about Watmore's ability to compete in League One. The question remains though, whether he can remain injury free and put a run of games together.
If Watmore performs to his full potential, he could help Sunderland challenge for promotion or even earn a transfer to a higher level. But any more injury setbacks could spell disaster for Watmore, and present yet more hurdles for one of the unluckiest players in English football.
