LEE CATTERMOLE feels like a ‘different player’ after completing his recovery from hip surgery, and the Sunderland midfielder is hoping a full pre-season schedule helps ensure his injury problems are a thing of the past.

Cattermole has spent the last three or four years battling against a succession of injury issues, and was effectively forced to write off the whole of last season when he was diagnosed with a hip cartilage problem that required surgery in the United States last November.

He returned to make six appearances at the end of the campaign, but freely admits he was struggling for both fitness and form after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

It is at least three years since he has been injury-free at the start of pre-season, so while Saturday’s friendly against St Johnstone did not go to plan in terms of the performance or result, at least it enabled Cattermole to get another hour of action under his belt.

His commitment, experience and midfield acumen are likely to make him a crucial performer as Sunderland reacclimatise to life in the Championship, and he is looking forward to being able to hit the ground running when the real action begins at the start of next month.

“I reckon I’ve had problems going back probably four or five years, coming and going,” said Cattermole, who will be part of the Sunderland squad for this evening’s pre-season friendly at Hartlepool United. “When it came on last season, I was worried. I honestly thought, ‘I’ve got some problems here, it has become too much’.

“The last three or four years, at the back end of the season, you don’t worry. There’s so many big games and the adrenaline is flying, so you get through.

“When it is the start of the season, especially with the last manager, it probably worked in my favour that he didn’t want players missing training then coming into the team. It allowed me to address it. I went to America, and it turned out to be serious.”

In many ways, the diagnosis of Cattermole’s problem was something of a relief, as the 29-year-old had been through various different investigations without being able to get to the cause of the issue.

An operation repaired the damage to his hip cartilage, and whereas he had previously been apprehensive about what might happen when he tried to step things up on the training ground, he is now able to train and play without holding anything back.

“I’ve noticed a massive difference, in myself as much as anything,” he said. “At home, you don’t realise how much it affects you, you just keep battling on.

“But you go to bed thinking, ‘Am I going to be alright in the morning?’ Then sometimes you’re not, and sometimes you are. It is a weird experience to be honest. I’m just glad to be out the other side of it, it is a new challenge now.”

That challenge is to help guide Sunderland back to the top-flight, and while last weekend’s defensive capitulation against St Johnstone was embarrassing, it at least opened Simon Grayson’s eyes to the size of the task he has inherited.

Grayson’s post-match comments represented a ‘shape up or ship out’ message, and have been interpreted as a loaded criticism to the likes of Lamine Kone, Wahbi Khazri and Jeremain Lens, who are widely expected to leave before the transfer window closes at the end of next month.

Grayson is understood to have been especially disappointed with Kone, who was on the field as St Johnstone scored all three of their first-half goals, and Sunderland chief executive Martin Bain is set to step up his efforts to find a buyer for the Ivory Coast international.

If Kone leaves, Sunderland will have to replace him, and Grayson is interested in Bristol City centre-half Aden Flint and Aston Villa defender Tommy Elphick.

Flint, who is valued at around £3m, has been linked with a possible move to Leeds United this summer, but new Leeds manager Thomas Christiansen is understood to be looking elsewhere, potentially creating an opportunity for Sunderland to make a move.

Elphick, who has also been on Leeds’ radar this summer, joined Villa from Bournemouth last summer, but has slipped down the radar under Steve Bruce and will be allowed to leave.

The 29-year-old has been training with Villa’s first-team squad in Portugal, but has not been involved in any of his side’s pre-season matches.