Sunderland star hailed as a leader after former Black Cats defender makes major international call

Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill described Sunderland defender Trai Hume as ‘a leader’ after he captained his country for the first time at senior level.

The 22-year-old has enjoyed a rapid rise since joining the Black Cats in a £200,000 deal from Linfield during the January 2022 transfer window. After making his debut in a 2-1 defeat against then-League One rivals Cheltenham Town, Hume went on to help his side secure promotion into the Championship and has firmly established himself as a key player at the Stadium of Light. After appearing in all four of Sunderland’s Championship fixtures so far this season, Hume has now made 88 appearances for the club, scoring three goals and providing three assists in the process.

His form at club level earned international recognition at a senior level after Hume made his Northern Ireland debut in a 1-0 defeat against Hungary just over two years ago. The Black Cats star was handed the captaincy when he won his twelfth senior cap in a 2-0 win against Luxembourg on Thursday following the retirement of former Sunderland loan star Jonny Evans - and O’Neill has confirmed the reasons behind his decision.

The former Newcastle United and Coventry City midfielder said: "Not many players come out of the Irish League and step into English football and play with that level of consistency. He may not be the captain at Sunderland but he is a leader. I’ve no hesitation in saying he will do a good job."

Hume retained the armband for a 1-0 defeat in Bulgaria on Sunday evening but stressed the added responsibility will not change his approach to the game.

He said: "I wouldn’t really say it is a big change but this is international football and the senior men's team so it could be a bit of a difference but I’ll try and take it in my stride. I don't think it will really change anything for me, I'm just putting something on my arm. It's still a game, I'm still going out there to win. I'm trying to put in the best performance I can, try and help my team mates out and try to win."

Former Leeds United midfielder hails ‘crucial’ Sunderland star

Carlton Palmer believes Patrick Roberts will be key in Sunderland’s push for success this season and stressed just how important retaining the services of the Manchester City winger was for the Black Cats.

Roberts was linked with a move away from the Stadium of Light during the summer transfer window but remained part of the squad that has started the season in fine fashion. Although the lively winger is yet to find the net, he has provided assists for Dennis Cirkin’s goal in the 4-0 home win against Sheffield Wednesday and the Romaine Mundle strike that gave the Black Cats a narrow home victory against Burnley just days later. Roberts will hope to extend his impressive form when the Black Cats travel to Plymouth on Saturday - and he will head into the game on the back of receiving some major praise from former Leeds United midfielder Palmer.

He told Football League World: "He's 27 now and really coming into his prime.  I know that Sunderland use their model to bring young players in and move them on by getting good money for them.  But you sometimes, like now, need to be kicking on. Sunderland are a massive club, and under Tony Mowbray they made the play-offs and lost to the eventual team that got promoted.  But last season was disappointing with the managers they brought in and the hierarchy have had to look at it and re-thought their process. “Obviously, as Mowbray said, it's great to have young players, but you have to have the balance with senior players.  It seems the new manager agrees and has brought them in. You look at what they are doing and playing free-flowing football and going out and attacking teams and scoring goals. Roberts has been a crucial part in the way they play under the new manager, with going and closing teams down quickly as well. It's been so important that Sunderland were able to keep hold of Patrick Roberts."