Sunderland Withdraw Interest in Signing Jon Walters After Forward Suffers Injury Setback

Championship side Sunderland have reportedly ditched plans to sign midfielder Jon Walters from Burnley, per the Chronicle.

The 34-year-old attacker had been linked with Chris Coleman's Black Cats this month, but a move is no longer on the cards, following yet another knee problem.

Walters tweeted a photo of himself lying in a hospital bed on Wednesday night, followed by the caption: "Devastated..but it is what it is! I don’t look too bad in tights!!"

The player has undergone a surgical procedure, a keyhole operation to be precise, which will see him sidelined for six to eight weeks.

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"He went to see a specialist with a tiny split in his cartilage," Clarets boss Sean Dyche explained. "It’s not even a tear, it’s not serious, but has to be taken care of.

”They thought it best to keyhole it and deal with it.

”It’s the same knee he’s been building up, and it’s unfortunate for him and us, especially with the amount of injuries we’ve picked up.

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"He has had surgery. At his age he knows when it's right or wrong so we decided it was best to do it. The guidelines approximately six to eight weeks (out)."

Walters has struggled to establish himself at Burnley since joining from Stoke City last summer. But he did feature against both Manchester United and Manchester City in recent matches and the setback is sure to leave him extremely disappointed. 

The Republic of Ireland international has only made three appearances for the Clarets so far this season, with all of them coming off the bench.