Denver Hume details reasons for leaving Sunderland and talks injury issues at Portsmouth

The 23-year-old brought a 13-year long association with the Black Cats to an end during the last transfer window having struggled to secure regular football due to injury and then the form of Dennis Cirkin.

But Hume has been sidelined with injury since April and missed the latter part of the season as Portsmouth failed to finish in the play-offs under Danny Cowley. The defender says he harbours ambitions of being ready for action when the League One season kicks off.

He said: ‘I hopefully want to be ready for the start of the season, or as close to the start as possible.

"It’s important not to rush it too much, to prevent yourself from getting any further setbacks. If I can get as close as possible to the first game, the aim will be then to play as many games as ‘I can and be fit for the best part of the season.

Hume moved to the South Coast from the North East after coming through the Academy of Light for a fee of around £200,000.

He added: “At Sunderland, I’d played a lot of games but probably hit a stage where I didn’t know if I was coming or going. I just felt I needed that fresh start in a fresh place with fresh faces.

“This is the total other end of the country, so I don’t think there’s any other place that will give you that opportunity. It was important for me to push myself out of my comfort zone.

“Sunderland is a great club and I really appreciate my time there and the amount of games I was able to play. But at some stage I think you need to push forward and get out of the comfort zone, to try something new and be successful somewhere else.

“It’s not like I was going from a big club to a much smaller club. So I saw the move as a good step to test myself and push for that main thing, which is obviously to gain promotion.”