Sunderland keeper Craig Gordon targets early season return from injury

Craig Gordon, Sunderland (Getty Images)

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Craig Gordon has admitted his frustration at a season spent largely on the treatment table, but hopes to pull on a Sunderland shirt again soon after the start of the new campaign.

A broken arm and then tendonitis restricted Gordon to just 15 first-team appearances during the 2010-11 season, but the 28-year-old is positive about being ready to play before too long.

“It’s been a frustrating season for me, ever since I started the season by breaking my arm again in training,” the Scotland international told the club’s official website.

“The arm is fine now and I put it behind me, but then I started to have the problem with my knee.

“But I’ve had the operation now and the early indications are that it’s going well.”

The former Hearts player, who has made 94 appearances for the Black Cats since joining in 2007, admitted having a tough time recovering.

“I never felt like I’ve been 100% fit. I’ve been struggling through trying to get the best out of my body.

“I’ll concentrate on the rehab side of things over the summer and I’ll be back in before everyone else ahead of pre-season training,” he revealed, but conceded that he was unlikely to be ready for the first game of the new Premier League season.

“Hopefully I’ll be there or thereabouts around the start of the season but it’ll probably be later than that when I can actually play some games.

“At least that’s something to aim for. We’re working with the surgeon very closely and making sure he’s happy with everything.”

And Gordon remains confident that he will come back as good as ever in the end.

“I always seem to be playing catch up and that’s not an ideal way to start the season,” he said.

“But I’ve always managed to come back in and play well and I know what it takes to get my body into the right physical shape for playing in this league.”

The Belgian keeper Simon Mignolet is likely to continue to deputise for Gordon when the first fixtures of 2011-12 come around.