Anichebe: I came back early to help Sunderland

Cape Town - Sunderland striker Victor Anichebe has revealed that he came back from injury prematurely to help the club fight for their Premier League status.

The Nigeria international suffered a cruciate ligament injury against West Brom on January 21 and was only expected to return three months later.

However, Anichebe came back a few weeks early to try and help the Black Cats stave off relegation because of his love for the club and the fans.

“I love it here, before I got injured I felt great, performances were good, someone was saying that outside Eden Hazard I was one of the highest ranked attackers in the league, so I’ve enjoyed it," he said, according to the Northern Echo.

“The fans have been great to me, it is a really great club, so whenever I go out there I try as hard as I can.

“This latest injury was meant to keep me out for 12/13 weeks but I came back after nine, because I wanted to help the team because I know I can with the different style I bring.

“It’s a great club, great stadium, great training facilities, great fanbase, it’s a shame we are where we are.”