Sunderland's Jack Rodwell is proving to be something of a curse for his side after the midfielder's miserable record when starting Premier League matches continued last Monday, where the Black Cats drew 2-2 with Liverpool.
TheMailreport that failure to win that very gamemeans that Rodwell has now gone 34 starts without a single league victory and has yet to enjoy that winning feeling in every match he has started for Sunderland.
Love, Ndong & Rodwell all start for Sunderland while Henderson misses out against his former side with Sturridge coming in #SUNLIV pic.twitter.com/KmiMZleTwn
The 25-year-old's career has been plagued by bad luck thus far, most notably during his two-year spell with Manchester City which was blighted by endless injury problems. His fitness issues have hardly improved since moving to the Stadium of Light though, and that misfortune is underlined by the damning statistic that he has only started 34 Premier League matches for Sunderland in two-a-half years.
With David Moyes' side languishing in the relegation zone, Rodwell may have to start matches from the substitutes bench if he continues to prove a curse to his side, who are a point off of Crystal Palace in 17th.
Rodwell can at least take solace from Gareth Bale's similarly bad record during his Tottenham days, wherethe Welshman failed to win 22 consecutive matches in which he started. He went on to become one of the team's most important players and having won the 2013 PFA player of the year award, Bale sealed an estimated £85m move to Real Madrid.
It appears there is hope for Rodwell after-all then, even if he has nearly gone the equivalent of an entire Premier League campaignwithout enjoying victory.