Russell Anderson

Despite having stated his desire to remain at Aberdeen for the rest of his career, [ 9 ] on 27 June 2007, Anderson completed a £1 million transfer to Premiership club Sunderland , signing a three-year deal. [ 10 ] Anderson made his first appearance for Sunderland in a friendly match against Italian side Juventus on 4 August 2007. He came on as a substitute at the Stadium of Light with fifteen minutes of the match remaining. On 18 August 2007, he made his Premier League début as a substitute against Wigan Athletic , where he gave away a penalty for a mis-timed tackle in a 3–0 defeat. This would prove to be his only Premier League appearance for Sunderland, as his next two years at the club would be blighted by injury. His second and last appearance for the club came against Luton in the League Cup on 28 August 2007. Anderson, making his full début, ruptured his ankle ligaments. [ 11 ] After having reconstructive surgery, Anderson was ruled out for three months. [ 12 ] On 19 February 2008, Anderson joined Plymouth Argyle on a one-month loan, which was later extended until the end of the 2007–08 season. [ 13 ] [ 14 ] He made his début for Plymouth away to Southampton on 19 February 2008, with Plymouth winning 2–0. [ 15 ] Anderson went on to play in all 14 of Plymouth's final league games of the season during his spell at the club. [ citation needed ] On 26 August 2008, Anderson joined Burnley on loan until the end of the 2008–09 season. [ 16 ] He made his Burnley début on 30 August 2008 in a 0–0 draw against his former club Plymouth. Anderson played four consecutive league games for Burnley, but in his fifth game for the club, a League Cup tie against Fulham on 23 September 2008, he suffered a serious cruciate ligament injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season. [ 17 ] After spending 14 months out injured, Anderson finally made his comeback in a reserve game against Wigan Athletic on 1 December 2009. [ 18 ] Anderson's contract was due to expire at the end of — Wikipedia