The Trai Hume interview: Wembley tears, THAT tackle and clear response to summer transfer talk

There's a brilliant photo of the moment the final whistle blows at Wembley, Sunderland's win over Sheffield United and their place in the Premier League confirmed.

He's not normally the most obviously emotional guy, but Trai Hume quite literally sinks to his knees. Joy, relief, exhaustion. You name it, he's clearly going through it. Reflecting on those moments as Sunderland's pre-season camp in Portugal wraps up, Hume explains that it was the moment his lifelong dream became a reality. You can forgive him for feeling a little overwhelmed.

"It meant so much," he told The Echo.

"Whenever I was younger, I always dreamed of playing in the Premier League. That was my dream, really. To get the chance to do it... it really is a dream come true. And I had a lot of family members there, and then the emotion of the game itself and the way we won it. To be honest, I wasn't far off crying before the final whistle even went. It was just one of those things, the emotions can get the better of you. It just meant so much."

Football moves quickly and within a week, Hume was off representing Northern Ireland. But not before a few very good days of celebration, he points out.

He said: "I enjoyed my week in between! We won on the 24th and then I was away on the 1st, I definitely enjoyed that week there's no doubt about that. Then I was bang into it when I went away and focused on the games at hand. Then I had a bit of time with family and what have you, and then straight back into it for pre-season."

That Hume enjoyed those deserved celebrations will be no surprise to anyone who saw a video of the team arriving back at their Kings Cross base after the final. Hume is handed a pint of Guinness by a grateful Sunderland fan and promptly sinks it in a matter of seconds. A sore head surely followed?

"To be honest, I thought it was going to be worse," Hume said, laughing.

"That's probably because I started drinking again, to be fair. Just didn't really stop, to be honest. It was an amazing day, one I'll never forget and I'm sure the fans are the same. Memorable day, it was probably the best day I've had in football yet, so I will never forget it."

Hume's contribution to that remarkable ending will go down in Sunderland folklore. The goals from Mayenda and Watson have been replayed again and again but the tackle on Ben Brereton Diaz was in its own way as special for supporters. A sign that the team would go again until the end, and for many a sign that the momentum of the game had shifted.

"It was a good tackle, the opportunity presented itself to be fair but hard," Hume said.

"I wouldn't change the way I play. If I get the chance to be fair but hard I'll take it. You can mistime it, and I know I have done sometimes in the past, but it was one of those that luckily went well."

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Promotion secured, now Hume's focus turns to ensuring he is not just a Premier League promotion winner but a regular at the level. With new players and new staff already in the building, standards are rising and Hume is ready to step up again.

"There's 100% been a lift," he said.

"And that's what need going into the Premier League. That's what I expect, everyone coming into pre-season, the standards to go higher. The new players and coaching staff have done that and I'm sure there's more [players] coming in at some point, so the lads who have been here have to lift the standard again to keep their place in the team.

“It's a dream come true to be going into the Premier League and my job now is to give everything to keep my place in that team and be there for that first game against West Ham. That's in my hands now and I'm going to try my utmost and give everything to keep that place. That's it basically, I’m raring to go."

The summer started with rumours of transfer interest from other club but Hume quashed that quickly on international duty, stressing his happiness at Sunderland. A couple of months down the line, nothing has changed.

"Yeah [still the case]," he said.

"I don't think about that at all, I let my agent and the club deal with all that. I don't want to think at all about that, I want to focus on my football. And I've always said that I love my football here at Sunderland, so it really is as simple as that."

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