Seb Larsson on 'wonderful' Sunderland and his hopes for a revival

Larsson left the Black Cats after their relegation from the top tier and after joining Hull City, the Swede ended up in a relegation battle with his former club.

The Tigers pulled away from danger but the 33-year-old admitted he was 'hurt' to see Sunderland drop.

"I was hurt when they went down [to League One last season]," Larsson told the i.

"It’s a place where I spent six years – we obviously had our ups and downs but it’s a wonderful club, with super fans, and they deserve better than that.

“I’d be thrilled if Sunderland got back to the Championship.

“The potential is there, but we have said this before about the clubs in the North East and for some reason they don’t manage to fulfill it," he added.

"But with new owners coming in and a new lease of life at the club, hopefully they can be back in the Championship and then the Premier League before long.”

After a successful World Cup campaign Larsson has returned to Sweden and is playing for AIK, who are currently top of the Swedish league.

You can read the full interview here.