A number of Leeds United youngsters have sent messages to Niall Huggins on Instagram after the former Whites starlet completed 90 minutes for the first time in well over a year on Monday.
Huggins has been unbelievably unlucky with injuries since leaving Elland Road to join Sunderland. The 21-year-old has dealt with issues in his back, heel, ankle and knee over the last 13 months.
He only managed to make two appearances for the Black Cats in League One before being sidelined for the rest of the season.
Niall Huggins lauded on Instagram after latest step forward in his recovery
But the encouraging news is that Huggins is making his way back. And he took another step forward at the start of this week.
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Huggins played more than an hour for the under-21s against Stoke last month. And he saw out the full 90 minutes on Monday as the Black Cats drew 1-1 at Newcastle.
Clearly, the appearance meant a lot to the wide-man. He took to Instagram to express his delight at playing a full game once again. And the likes of Stuart McKinstry, Sam Greenwood and Charlie Cresswell all sent messages to their old teammate…
McKinstry wrote: ‘Love it Neil’, while Cresswell replied: ‘Brilliant mate’. And Greenwood responded with: ‘Yes bro’.
Obviously, Huggins left Leeds more than a year ago. However, there will be plenty of Whites fans hoping to see him do well at the Stadium of Light.
It was a surprise when Marcelo Bielsa gave him the green light to leave. But Bielsa showed time and time again during his tenure that he was not going to block a young player’s development for selfish reasons.
Huggins came on during the dramatic 4-2 defeat to Arsenal in our first season. And he did not disgrace himself when he got that chance at the Emirates.
So it was a shame to see him move on later that year. But much like Robbie Gotts and a few others, there is a real desire to see them do well in their careers.
Hopefully, Huggins can now put his injury issues behind him and really kick on in the Championship.