SUNDERLAND midfielder David Meyler has admitted that his eight-month lay-off through injury has triggered a feeling of absence making the heart grow fonder.

Meyler has recently begun his steady return to action having been missing for the best part of this year, with a handful of appearances for the reserves and a fleeting substitute’s cameo in the two-all home draw with West Brom last week – much earlier than expected thanks to fellow midfielder David Vaughan withdrawing from the squad via an illness.

The Irishman has been on the wrong end of some wretched injury luck as despite threatening to make a midfield berth his own, a bad knock has ensured he knows the club’s treatment room like the back of his hand.

Back in January with Sunderland on a run which promised much but in the end delivered little, Meyler was involved in the 1-0 win at Aston Villa but did not see the finish thanks to a cruciate ligament injury – just months after recovering from a similar blow.

However, the 22-year-old is back on the pitch and concedes all this time on the treatment table has had him pining for this moment.

“I’m getting stronger and I’m just happy to be back playing,” Meyler told the club’s offical website. “When you spend eight months out at a time you realise just how much you love and miss the game.

“I can’t wait to get back fully but you can’t rush these things. Now I want to put it all behind me, get back playing regularly and hopefully being injury-free.