Sunderland captain Lee Cattermole has revealed that he hopes to be back in full training in time for next season following a knee injury.
The midfielder was ruled out for the remainder of the current campaign when he had surgery on the persistent problem last month.
"It's no golf or summer holidays for me, but I'll look forward to getting back next season," Cattermole told The Mirror.
"I've got another couple of weeks on the crutches then hopefully I'll be back in full training when the lads come back for pre-season.
"My operation went well and my knee's in good condition. I was getting pain there when I was playing and it wouldn't go away so I decided to get it done."
Cattermole had made 14 appearances in all competitions for Sunderland before his season was cut short.