Sunderland Tyne-Wear derby legend almost snubbed Black Cats offer amid Ajax and Udinese talks

Former Sunderland favourite Thomas Sorensen has revealed he initially ‘dismissed’ interest from the Black Cats before agreeing to move to Wearside during the summer of 1998.

The 22-year-old became one of Peter Reid’s most inspired pieces of business when he joined a Black Cats side that would go on to secure the Championship title and a return to the Premier League during the Dane’s first season at the Stadium of Light. Sorensen played a key role by keeping a club record 29 clean sheets during a truly memorable season as the likes of Kevin Phillips, Niall Quinn and Allan Johnston helped Reid’s men canter to the title with a total of 105 points after losing just three of their 46 league games.

Sorensen went on to establish himself as one of the club’s best goalkeepers of the Premier League era and wrote his name into club folklore when he saved a late penalty from Newcastle United captain Alan Shearer as Reid’s side claimed a 2-1 Tyne-Wear derby win at St James Park in November 2000. He departed for Aston Villa during the summer of 2003 following Sunderland’s relegation back into the second tier - but Sorensen has now revealed things could have been very different had he not taken advice from his parents after receiving an initial approach from Sunderland during the summer of 1998.

Speaking about his move to the North East, Sorensen told FourFourTwo: "I have my parents to thank for that. I was talking to a few clubs, like Ajax and Udinese, who had a long history of Danish players. Then this left-field offer came in from Sunderland. I hadn’t heard a lot about them and I sort of dismissed it. My Mum and Dad told me to go over and have a look. I was blown away. I knew that this was the right thing for me. I would get an opportunity to play, I loved the feel of the North East and their passion for football. It was probably one of the best decisions I ever made.”

‘I had to get used to all the swearing!’

Sorensen went on to play under the likes of David O’Leary, Martin O’Neill and Tony Pulis during his time in the Premier League. However, it was Peter Reid that was his first manager in English football and he revealed the togetherness he fostered in the Sunderland squad was a big part of his success despite conceding there was one aspect of working under the former England midfielder that caught him by surprise.

He said: "I had to get used to all the swearing! He was a great manager. One of the old school. He was probably the last manager I had who would allow the players to go out and have a few drinks. He cherished that camaraderie. He really encouraged the players to spend a lot of time together and that was probably part of our success. He said things as they were. He could be quite tough, but he was fair."

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