Duncan Watmore ... Rotherham United's older, wiser version of the running man

He was a Premier League kid with Sunderland, racking up some of the best statistics in the Premier League.

He ran so hard and so far that his manager at the Stadium of Light, Sam Allardyce, nicknamed him ‘Road Runner’.

It made a change from his other one - ‘Ginger Messi’!

These days, the striker is an older, wiser man. Some of that athletic power is no longer there after an injury-hit career but the talent that made him a top-flight operator and then a feared opponent at Championship level remains.

Following a year without playing, he's now with Rotherham United on a deal until the end season during which he intends to prove that, at the age of 31, he still has plenty to offer.

Just don't expect too many full-match stints from the wily attacker who knows the importance of staying fit as the Millers fight to climb away from League One's drop zone.

“I have to manage myself,” he said. “It would be stupid and naive to just go in and try to play as many minutes as possible. That's not where my body is at, and that's just the reality.

“I have to ease my way in. Every player wants to play as much as they can. But if you don't use your experience to maybe pull yourself back and don't listen to people telling you the same thing, you can end up breaking down. I’ve learned that through experience.

“I’m very willing to work with the sports scientist, the manager, and myself in a collaborative effort. Whatever they want from me, I’ll try to give.”

Watmore made his debut as a late substitute in last weekend's clash with Cardiff City and can expect more game time at Burton Albion next Tuesday and then in the South Yorkshire derby against Doncaster Rovers at AESSEAL New York Stadium the following Saturday.

He comes to S60 with no ‘big time’ pretensions despite racking up a combined total of nearly 250 matches in the top two divisions of English football. “‘Grateful’ is the word, because the manager has been brilliant with me,” said the deadline-day signing. “I'm not going to shy away from the fact that I have had injuries in the past. I had an operation in March and was then without a club.

“I know I've got to be careful with my body. I’ve got to manage myself. It's a natural part of the game - you’re going to get wear and tear.

“I know that I can’t start every game, I know that I’ve got to be an impact player off the bench. I’ve tried to get better at that as a role as I've got older.

“I'm excited to crack on. I’ll be patient, I’ll be ready to help in whatever way I can. We know where we are on the table and we want to climb it.”

After Sunderland and England Under-21s appearances, came three and a half seasons in the second tier with Middlesbrough and then two years in the same division with Millwall.

Injury did for him last February and he left the New Den at the close of the season. The Millers landed him as a free agent in the final hours of the January transfer window - after he'd spent time training with Stockport County and Sheffield Wednesday - to bring to an end some cherished family time.

“I've got two very young children,” Watmore said. “I've loved spending time with them. When you're in football, you're very committed to the club and it's very full-on.

“It has been nice, in a way, to have that break after being in the game for so long. But, also, I still feel like I have a lot to give on the pitch. And off it, I suppose, as well - helping the lads in and around the changing room.

“I’ve always taken pride in trying to be good off the pitch. I am experienced and I want to use that experience to help younger players to develop.

“If I can pass on or one or two tips - about movement or being on the ball or whatever - and maybe also help them to handle the pressures of the game, then I’ll be very happy.

“I’m excited because the period away gives you that perspective and that hunger to see what else you’ve still got.”

He's a different player to the Manchester-born prospect who burst onto the scene with a run of eye-catching displays for the Black Cats more than a decade ago.

“You evolve in terms of you might not have the same half a yard of pace or the same sharpness,” he said. “You have to be a bit cleverer upstairs - probably using intelligence and experience to move better off the ball to find space.

“A lot of the chances you create can be by your movement off the ball. I’m always thinking of ways to compensate for my body, trying to get better at other things.“

As for all those injuries ... he'll push them to the back of his mind as he embarks on the winter of his playing days.

“Don’t get me wrong, those thoughts will come into your head, but, through experience, I try to let them go and focus back on what I’m doing, whether it’s training or in games,” he said.

“You can’t go in thinking what could happen or what has happened. You use your experience to know your body and preserve it for longer periods.”

Seventy-seven sprints per game was his average contribution to Sunderland's cause in the 2016/17 campaign.

Less will be more in a Rotherham shirt.

But he's still ready to go through some hard yards to help in the bid to stay up.