ROKER ROUNDUP: The Roadrunner is set to return; Duncan Watmore closing in on Sunderland comeback

Watmore close to return

Duncan Watmore has been out injured since November of last year after suffering an identical cruciate ligament injury that he had suffered in a Premier League game the previous December.

Thankfully the 24-year-old is close to making his comeback with an appearance for the Sunderland under-23s pencilled in for after the international break and sometime before the end of October.

As luck would have it, Sunderland under-23’s first game after the international break is against Manchester United - who Duncan had a spell with between the ages of 8 and 13 - on Friday, October 19.

Should the winger miss out on that fixture, the next one will be at the Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground against Southampton on Sunday, October 28.

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Defoe too hungry to retire

Although he is now 36, former Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe has no intention of retiring just yet.

Defoe now turns out in the Premier League for Bournemouth and speaking to ESPN, he says he wants to play for as long as he possibly can:

I just love playing and scoring goals, I love it here at Bournemouth, love being in the Premier League and I want to carry on as long as possible.

He particularly wants to carry on as he’s so close behind Arsenal legend Thierry Henry in the all-time Premier League goalscoring ranks and puts down his short spell with Toronto as the reason he hasn’t overtaken the French striker yet:

I would’ve beaten Thierry, yeah, if I didn’t have a year with Toronto. That just sounds crazy because someone like Thierry Henry, who for me was one of the best players to play in the Premier League -- if I do end up scoring more Premier League goals than Thierry Henry, I think it’s going to be really strange.

People ask me how long I can and want to go on, but when you know you are 12 goals behind Thierry Henry, it means you will carry on as long as you can to go past him. But yeah, it is special to be amongst those names for sure.

Defoe goes on to say that his winning goal in the derby against Newcastle United back in April 2015 was the best goal of his career and he couldn’t help but cry due to how important the win was:

I cried on the pitch when that goal went in. I had to cover my face when I walked down the tunnel because of it.

Sunderland was special for me. Football means so much to the fans up there and that game, I just knew I had to make a difference. As soon as the ball left my foot, I knew it was in, but I think the tears were because of the relief of scoring such an important goal for the club.

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