SUNDERLAND captain Lee Cattermole goes into the new Premier League season confident in his own body having enjoyed a proper pre-season break for the first time in four years.

The Teessider is set to line up at Liverpool on Saturday confident the injuries that have plagued his Sunderland career are behind him.

Since joining from Wigan Athletic two years ago, Cattermole has been limited to 46 appearances.

But he believes facing up to his problems last season allowed him to cure them in time for this. Seeing through a pre-season, which ended in a 0-0 draw at Hibernian on Saturday, has confirmed as much.

“It was a stress fracture in my back,” he explained. “Hopefully that is it now. I gave it a rest for two months, three months.

“It wasn’t right and I tried to play with painkillers. I told the gaffer. Once we got the win against Wigan (on April 30) I knocked it on the head and got ready for this season.

“It needed pure rest, so I had three months’ rest. I came back earlier, June 25, than the rest of the lads. I missed one day’s training in three weeks. That’s a great run for me.

“In the last three pre-seasons I have moved club twice, plus I had (England) Under-21s duty, so it has always been disturbed. It gives you the base fitness for the season and it is something I needed.”

Manager Steve Bruce will be relieved to have Cattermole firing on all cylinders. Although still only 23, the Middlesbrough product has captained all three teams he has played for.

Although Bruce’s wheeling and dealing is not done yet – he has admitted an interest in Craig Bellamy and is still trying to move out the likes of George McCartney, Nyron Nosworthy and Matthew Kilgallon – his eight senior signings to date were all made before pre-season began. It has allowed Sunderland to prepare well for the new campaign.