Trai Hume urged to fight for Sunderland place despite current 'disappointment'

Tony Mowbray believes Trai Hume will get his chance at Sunderland - so he needs to be ready to take it.

Tony Mowbray has assured Trai Hume has ‘done nothing wrong’ and urged him to keep fighting for a place in the Sunderland team.

The Northern Irishman has found his opportunities limited since arriving from Linfield and he found himself dropped from the matchday squad entirely for the visit of Preston last week.

However, Mowbray says he has been quick to identify the need to reassure the 20-year-old about his future, and says the form of Lynden Gooch is the reason for Hume’s lack of chances, nothing else.

"I had a long chat yesterday with Trai Hume the other day," said Mowbray. "He didn't make the 18 on Saturday and I can see the disappointment in his eyes.

"He's done nothing wrong, he is working really hard in training, and he has just come back from international duty with Ireland, yet he doesn't even get on the bench. I can feel the sadness so I pull him in my office, have a sit down and a cup of tea and a chat.

"I started life as a young player and I've had every manager tell me to just keep working hard and you'll come on and get your chance. It feels at the moment that he can't see his chance, but I'd say 'this is football, it's a competition within a competition and you have to compete with your teammates to get in this team'.

"When your chance comes, you have to be ready. You can't say to me 'I haven't played for eight weeks'.

"You have to be ready, and then it's the other guy who is moaning that he can't get back in the team.

With the World Cup break this year, Hume may find his opportunities limited further before January. However, Mowbray accepts that a decision may have to be made then about his short-term future and development.

However, Mowbray is hopeful it won’t come to that.

“If you don't get an opportunity and the player in your position never gets injured, you have to knock on my door in January and say 'gaffer, I need to play football. I'm 19 and I want to play. I'm an international player and I want to play.'

"Then we'll assess it and see what's right for you and what's right for the club, and potentially find a loan. But let's hope you're in the team and it's Goochy knocking on my door asking why he can't get in the team, and I'm saying 'Trai is in the team, we've kept four clean sheets on the bounce and he's assisted three goals - I can't change that mate'."