Rees Greenwood is delighted to be back in the thick of the action after completing 90 minutes against Derby County last Thursday.
The winger had been sidelined since the end of November and as a result missed Sunderland under-23s’ previous five matches in all competitions ahead of their trip to the iPro Stadium.
However, the 20-year-old has been putting in the yards at the Academy of Light and helped the young Cats claw back a two-goal deficit to cement their place in the knockout rounds of the Premier League International Cup.
Greenwood told safc.com he is feeling good after his return and is hopeful of reaching the same heights he achieved at the end of last season which saw him make his Premier League debut.
“I have worked hard to get back where I was,” he said. “I have got back quicker than I expected so it was a surprise and a bonus to play the full match.
“I wasn’t expecting but it was great to get that under my belt – all I can do now is recover and focus ahead of our next match against Derby on Wednesday.
“My legs are a bit sore but I’ve got to listen to Scott (Ainsley) and recover well.”
He continued: “It was a disappointing match and at half-time all the lads knew it wasn’t good enough.
“We had to turn it up a notch and did well to get back on level terms to get the important point we needed from the game.
“We fought for the second balls and all the lads noticed our first-half display was nowhere near good enough.”
