JACK CLARKE has come a long way since collapsing and being rushed to hospital following a seizure when he was 18.
The Sunderland winger had made his fourth Championship start for Leeds at Middlesbrough in February 2019 but, after being substituted at half-time, lost consciousness on the sidelines.
Paramedics and club medical staff tended to him before he was taken to hospital where he later came round.
It thankfully proved to be a freak incident and fast forward four years Clarke, now 22, is one of the hottest talents outside the Premier League, already netting eight goals this season.
His form won him the Sky Bet Championship player of the month for September.
Reflecting on that scary day at the Riverside, Clarke said: “Everything was normal leading into the game.
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“I didn’t think anything like that was going to happen, neither did any of the staff or medical team, because they wouldn’t have put me at risk.
“I played the first half then came off at half-time because we were losing.
“As I was coming back out for the second half, the incident happened.
“I don’t remember too much after that until a couple of hours later that evening when I woke up in hospital.
“I was told I had suffered a seizure due to a combination of things.
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“I had a virus in my blood, and combined with the adrenaline from the game and the caffeine supplements I’d taken, it proved a recipe for disaster.
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“You never know what’s going on inside because I felt fine and there was nothing unusual happening on game-day.
“I’ve since been thoroughly checked and it’s gone down as a one-off.
“Touch wood, something like that hasn’t happened again to me or anybody else.”
Clarke was back in action just a month later.
He went on to make a further eight sub appearances in a season that saw Leeds lose in the play-off semi-finals to Derby before making an £8.5million switch to Tottenham.
The winger never got a serious look-in during his three years at Spurs — making only four sub outings in cup competitions.
He was loaned out initially to Leeds then QPR, Stoke and Sunderland before making his Black Cats move permanent in July 2022.
Yet despite being fortunate to work under legendary bosses Marcelo Bielsa and Jose Mourinho, Clarke admits playing for current Sunderland chief Tony Mowbray has been the most enjoyable time of his career.
And the Black Cats are reaping the rewards of that relationship with the young ace on fire as they chase a play-off spot for a second successive year.
Although the Wearsiders suffered their third straight Championship defeat on Tuesday, going down 1-0 at Leicester, they produced an excellent performance against the runaway leaders that deserved a point.
Mowbray took over last August from Alex Neil, who walked out six games into the season to join Stoke.
But Clarke says his arrival proved a release.
He said: “A lot of the other boys will echo me but I’ve loved working with him.
“Ever since the gaffer came in, he’s been a breath of fresh air for us attackers especially and the young lads.
“We’ve been given freedom to play and express ourselves and, when things don’t work, he wants us to try it again.
“As long as we’re working hard and trying to do the right thing, he’s a top man to work under.
“I can’t thank him enough for what he’s done for me during the past year.
“You can never pick who you’re going to work for but, thankfully, I’ve had some brilliant managers at the start of my career that have helped me in terms of what I’ve learned and the player I’ve so far become.
“It’s hard to compare different managers but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working under them all for different reasons. But playing under Tony is the most enjoyment I’ve had in my career and that’s due to him and the environment he’s created here.
“When I was working under Bielsa and Mourinho, I was younger and naive. I just wanted to learn.
“Playing was obviously what I wanted but the situation I was in and the age I was at, I couldn’t be expecting to play every week or, when I wasn’t playing, knocking on the door and asking, ‘why am I not playing?’
“It was more about being there, learning, being the best version of myself and, if I got the chance to contribute, just trying to contribute what I could.”
It was a surprise Sunderland reached the play-offs last season following promotion from League One.
But their chances of emulating that again are not helped by the summer departures of star attackers Ross Stewart to Southampton and Amad Diallo, who returned to Manchester United after a successful loan stint.
Added to that, defenders Danny Batth and Lynden Gooch left for Norwich — who Sunderland host today — and Stoke respectively.
But midfielder Jobe Bellingham has proved to be a good buy from Birmingham while the emergence of youngsters such as Abdoullah Ba and Adil Aouchiche has been crucial.
Clarke said: “It’s hard to replace the players we lost last year like Amad, who scored 14 goals, and Ross Stewart who got 11 in just 12 games.
“Even when we brought Joe Gelhardt in on loan from Leeds at the back of last season, he played a big role, so it’s hard to replace these types of players, but the club’s done well in its recruitment.
“The likes of Jobe, Abdoullah and Adil might not be the finished article yet and we’re not expecting them to be.
“But they all offer us something different and there’s a reason why players get signed here for different things. I think the club’s got that balance right.
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“We’d like to replicate what we did last season, if not go all the way.
“That’s our ambition — we’re not saying it’s going to happen but we know how good we are as a team, how good we can be on our day and feel we can beat anybody.
“So we’re not going to limit ourselves to what we can do this season.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
