Sunderland keeper Mannone training like never before ahead of return

It’s been a case of no pain no gain for Sunderland shot stopper Vito Mannone as he continues to put in the hard yards behind the scenes to regain full fitness.

The Black Cats keeper has been on the sidelines since the end of August when he picked up elbow ligament damage in training.

The injury was so severe that the Italian was forced to undergo surgery but the 28-year-old has since returned to training and is stepping up his progress with the help of the Sunderland’s backroom staff.

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images )

No date has yet been set on his return but Mannone believes the base work being done now will set him up well for when he does find himself between the sticks again.

“It’s the first real injury I have had in my career – I have been lucky so far – so I just have embrace the pain, face the challenge and come back stronger as soon as possible,” he said.

“We had a plan from the beginning and everything was set up for me to perform each day and train as hard as I could.

“The medical team has been exceptional, and they have been with me since this problem happened. I’ve been working every day, double sessions.

“It’s a lot of work behind the scenes in the gym and I am working on my flexibility of the arm and elbow.

“I’m getting stronger in my upper body and at the same time I am pushing really hard on my legs with the medical team and the fitness team.

“They have really worked me hard, and they’ve had the chance to do that because we have no game.

“I have been training like I never have done before. Hopefully this training will help me come back as strong as I possibly can.”