Sunderland hailed by USMNT stars in developing Spurs defender DeAndre Yedlin

DeAndre Yedlin's development into an international player is down to his loan spell at Sunderland.

That’s the opinion of USMNT stars Geoff Cameron and Brad Guzan, ahead of their clash with upcoming Copa América Centenario.

Yedlin joined the Black Cats back in August on a season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur.

And after initially struggling to secure a regular starting role, he flourished in the second half of the campaign under Sam Allardyce, and played a pivotal role in helping the Sunderland avoid relegation.

And ahead of the USA’s clash with Colombia tomorrow night, Stoke defender Cameron has hailed the improvement in the young full-back.

“It’s night and day,” Cameron said. “You see his tenacity, his aggressiveness, his thought process on the ball. He’s got the experience.

“He’s been fighting relegation pretty much all season and that changes you as a player because it’s do or die – the fact that you either lose your contract or go down to the Championship, or you stay up and that brings the team together or it doesn’t.

“Sunderland ended up bringing the team together, they worked for one another and he got a lot of experience on it, and that’s helped him and it will help him in his career.”

Yedlin will return to Spurs for pre-season, with Allardyce yet to confirm whether he will look to bring the defender back to Wearside.

But Aston Villa goalkeeper Guzan – first choice goalkeeper for Jurgen Klinsmann’s USMNT side – believes whatever the future holds for the full-back, his experiencee at the Stadium of Light will hold him in good stead. Guzan added: “I think DeAndre playing consistently at Sunderland had been very beneficial for himself and I think it shows in his game.”

Yedlin made 25 appearances for Sunderland during his loan spell, but faces stiff competition for aspot at Spurs, with England international Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier fighting over the righ-back position.

When asked last month about whether Sunderland would look to sign Yedlin on a permanent deal, Allardyce said: “We will wait and see.

“Everything will be hopefully sorted out and we can start the process as quick as we possibly can.”