Sunderland defender Dan Ballard has been speaking about his teammates and ambitions on Wearside

Sunderland defender Dan Ballard has opened up on Granit Xhaka’s notable impact at the Stadium of Light this season as well as outlining his desire to go on a cup run with the Black Cats over the coming months.

Regis Le Bris’ men are flying high in the top half of the Premier League table, and are through to the fourth round of the FA Cup having seen off Everton via a penalty shootout last time out in the competition.

A key part of Sunderland’s success this term has been the ambitious recruitment drive they enacted during the summer, with few players catching the eye as readily as Xhaka. And in a fresh interview with TNT Sports’ Sign Up, Ballard has emphasised just how important the veteran midfielder is to his new club.

What has Dan Ballard said about Sunderland teammate Granit Xhaka?

When asked what Xhaka’s biggest impact on the dressing room at the Stadium of Light has been, Ballard responded: “I think his leadership from day one. He improved everyone's standards. When you've got such a huge star of the game, someone who's achieved so much and he's doing all the basic hard work every single day, it lifts everyone's standards. I can say that for myself but also seeing from the team's performance, especially in training, it really lifted.”

Ballard was also quizzed on which teammates he feels closest too on Wearside, replying: “I'd probably say Trai Hume, obviously. I play with the national team [Northern Ireland] with him. I've known him for a long time.”

He continued: “Dan Neil, Anthony Patterson, Leo Hjelde, Simon Moore - I could probably name literally everyone. Not just the boys from last year... We have great connections for its own purpose, winning promotion - I think we'll be friends for life after experiencing something like that.

“But all the new boys that have come in, I’ve been so surprised how well they've gelled with everyone. I don't know if we just got lucky, but everyone we've signed have just been amazing people. It's a pleasure to work with them.”

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Turning his attention to Sunderland’s hopes for the remainder of the season, Ballard explained: “I think the goal at the start of the season was to get to 40 points, and we're not quite there yet so that's the goal for now. Hopefully we can get there sooner rather than later and then we can start to set a new goal. I think the club has an emphasis. We played a really strong team in the FA Cup and I feel like we're in a good position with the squad where we can hopefully win a few games and see where it takes us.”

On his relationship with head coach Le Bris, Ballard added: “Personally, last year, I learnt so much from him. I had quite a difficult time at periods last year and his man-management skills were really good. At times I was injured and his emphasis on staying connected with the team and performing not as individuals but as a collective I think has really helped me and definitely the team. We do a lot of work on the training pitch and he's very clear on what he wants of us, and it's easy to understand what he wants and put it into practice.”

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