Centre back Jordan Willis is continuing to train with Sunderland in order to aid his  rehabilitation from injury, a report from The Sunderland Echo has revealed.

Willis originally joined Sunderland from Coventry City in the summer of 2019, and went on to make 60 appearances in all competitions for the Black Cats, scoring twice.

However, the last of those appearances came in February 2021, when he ruptured a patella, and a recurrence of that injury during surgery means he has not played since.

The defender was then released by Sunderland following the expiry of his contract at the end of last season, although recent behind the scenes footage from the Black Cats showed he is still training with the club.

Now, this latest update has revealed that Willis has indeed been training with Sunderland over the course of the summer, as he continues his recovery from that injury.

It remains to be seen exactly what the future holds for the 28-year-old in terms of a potential new club, though he did also previously analyse matches under former Sunderland manager Lee Johnson when out injured.

The Verdict

It is good to see that Sunderland have done this for Willis.

After so long out of the game, it is going to be hard enough for the centre back to attract the attention of another club as it is.

But the fact that he is still training with the Black Cats, means he is using a level of facility that ought to give him the best chance of getting fit, while he is unable to actually play matches.

With that in mind, it seems there is still a long road ahead for Willis, but this may give him some hope, while that experience in analysis could also open some doors for him away from a playing career.