NIALL HUGGINS is determined to make up for lost time after a two-year injury 'nightmare'.
The Sunderland full-back, 22, had career-threatening injuries including a stress fracture of his back and a mystery injury which left him with weak bones.
But the Wales newcomer, handed a first senior call-up into Robert Page's squad ahead of qualifiers with Armenia and Turkey which could take the Dragons to Euro 2024, is eager to kick on.
Huggins, who received the Championship's Goal of the Month award for October, had to take injections every morning for three months to strengthen his bones and solve the issue.
The full-back, who joined Sunderland from Leeds in 2021, said: "The last two seasons have been a nightmare. It's been horrendous and awful.
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"I've only started 16 professional games and I'm nearly 23.
"When I first joined Sunderland, I suffered an initial stress fracture in my back. That put me out for four or five months.
"100 per cent I felt my career was at risk.
"It got to the point where every time I was doing the rehab, the first few steps back on the grass, it was always there in the back of my mind: 'Is this going to happen again?'
"The years are going by on the contract and you are worrying about it.
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"My body struggled to get to the impact of matches and so I was suffering smaller, muscular injuries.
"When I was doing my rehab, I had problems with the backs of my knees.
"We struggled to get to the bottom of it. All the tests we did, nothing seemed to stand out.
"It was just that the bones were weak, which made it tough. It literally feels like I'm starting my professional career."
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The injuries limited the York-born defender to just four Sunderland appearances last season.
Huggins, whose father was born in Bangor, played one Premier League match for Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa against Arsenal at the Emirates but has impressed with the Black Cats this term.
Huggins, who has played for Wales' U21s, added: "I had a full, proper off-season which was massive for me.
"When I did finally start to get fit, it helped so much mentally. It is still hard to look back. You feel as though you wasted a lot of time.
"But I feel really good and I'm playing the best football I've ever played.
"We had a couple of injuries and that has allowed me to slot in. I've started the last 11 games and now I feel the fittest I've ever felt.
"I've always been confident but the last two years I've struggled to show that.
"This is the first year where I can really show what I can do and what level I can play at. To have the call-up to the senior team shows that even more."
