Jack Rodwell received 50 injections in five days from controversial specialist Dr Hans Muller-Wolfhart in a fresh attempt to rescue his career.

The 24-year-old has made just 20 Premier League starts since joining Sunderland for £10million in 2014 from Manchester City, where he appeared 16 times in two years.

Rodwell has been plagued by muscle injuries – most notably a long-standing hamstring complaint – and has failed to impact even when fit.

Jack Rodwell received 50 injections in five days from controversial specialist Dr Hans Muller-Wolfhart

The 24-year-old has made just 20 Premier League starts since joining Sunderland for £10million in 2014

It is all a far cry from the 16-year-old who made his top-flight debut for Everton and was tipped as a future England captain, later winning three caps.

Rodwell's latest setback has seen him travel to Germany for treatment with former Bayern Munich club doctor Wolfhart, who is world-renowned for his work with top sportsmen such as Usian Bolt and Steve Gerrard but has also courted controversy by using extracts from cockerels and calves' blood to treat patients.

'I flew to see him in Munich. I was there from Monday to Friday morning and had about 50 injections over that time. He injects and injects,' explained Rodwell, who has suffered hamstring and back problems of late.

'There's a lot of anti-inflammatories and lubricants for the joints – it's all technical stuff, the physios know more than me.

Rodwell (right) emerged as a first-half substitute in his side's 1-0 defeat by Watford at the Stadium of Light

Rodwell is desperate to finally become injury-free

'I just go along with it, and I'll do anything to stay fit. There's nothing major, it's just niggling injuries, but I don't want it to continue. When you' re out for a week here and there, it sets you back and you're out of the team.'

Rodwell isn't the first Sunderland player to visit 73-year-old Wolfhart this season.

'A couple of the lads have been – Lee Cattermole and Billy Jones – and had good results from that. The doctors put it to me, and of course I'll go and do anything,' he added.

'There's a method to his madness. He looked at all the MRI scans and saw what he thought. 'To be honest, he says that when he was at Bayern Munich, the players used to get it on a weekly basis.

'I want to stay injury free, that's a massive thing for me. Believe it or not, the last two seasons at Sunderland have been better, purely because the injuries I've been getting have just been niggles.

'It's been a week or 10 days maximum, whereas in the past it's been six or seven weeks.

'It's equally as frustrating because you're still out of the team and having to work your way back in. That's why I took this route – we're not worried about it, but prevention is better than cure.'

Meanwhile, Rodwell anticipates eventually reverting back to central defence from midfield should he overcome his injury problems.

'From England Under-16s, through the 17s and 18s, all the way through my youth career, I played at centre-half,' he said. 'For some reason, when I made my debut (at Everton) I just played in central midfield and it went from there. I'll play at the back again though, no problem.

Rodwell anticipates reverting back to central defence from midfield should he overcome his injury problems

'We've spoken about it and if the manager asked me to play there, I think it would be natural for me.

'Eventually, I think I'll probably end up playing at centre-half. What am I now, 24? By the time I get to 28 or 29 I imagine I'll be playing in the defence. I think it'll be a natural transition for me.