Agent reveals Sunderland in talks to extend Niall Huggins deal

Contract talks are underway to keep resurgent full-back Niall Huggins at Sunderland.

Sunderland are talking to Niall Huggins about extending his contract on Wearside  after finally overcoming his injury nightmare. 

Huggins joined Sunderland in the summer of 2021, putting pen to paper on a four-year deal. 

The first two years of that deal were decimated by injury, with the player himself admitting that there were times he feared for his career during that period. 

However, he has bounced back brilliantly this year, taking advantage of the absences of Aji Alese and Dannis Cirkin to cement his place in the Black Cats' line-up. 

Speaking exclusively to inews, Huggins' agent Ian Harte, revealed contract talks are underway and told fans to 'watch this space.'

“Niall’s had an amazing season so far," Harte said. "He’s had to be patient, he’s been injured for a year and a half.

“I’ve always known when he was at Leeds he is a top, top player. He can play right-back, he can left-back.

“He’s been rewarded for his form with a call-up to the Wales national team. He just needs to keep doing what he’s doing. He’s got a year and half left so we’ll just have to watch this space.”

Huggins himself reflected on the 'worry' he had on over his contract during his injury problems, explaining that he was always very much aware that unless he could prove himself robust enough for Championship football then he had little chance of an extension. 

Talks will, therefore, come as a huge relief for him.

“The last two years have been horrendous, awful to be honest," Huggins said during his Wales call-up in November. "When I first joined Sunderland, I suffered an initial stress fracture in my back and that put me out for four or five months.

“I had the same sort of issue but in different places when I was doing my rehab and it was something we struggled to get to the bottom of.

“There was never a reason for why it was happening. All the tests we did, nothing ever seemed to stand out.

“It was just that the bones were weak, which made it tough. It got to the point where every time I was doing the rehab, the first few steps back on the grass, it was always there in the back of my mind.

“I would think: ‘Is this going to happen again?’ And you do start to worry. The years are going by on the contract and you are worrying about it.

“When I did finally start to get fit, it helped so much mentally. But it is still hard to look back on.”

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