'Wilson is making it tough!' - Aaron Connolly wants Sunderland future

Aaron Connolly was only handed a deal until the end of the season by Sunderland, but he is hoping to earn an extension - as long as Wilson Isidor lets him!

Aaron Connolly - Sunderland striker settling in / IMAGO / NurPhoto

Aaron Connolly wants to stay at Sunderland ‘for a long time,’ but the brilliant form of Wilson Isidor is making it harder to prove himself.

Connolly has made three appearances for the Black Cats, but they have all been from the substitute bench. That is due to the form of Isidor, who has scored four goals in six starts.

Two of them were goal-of-the-season contenders as well, so Connolly knows he is going to have to bide his time.

“The boys are obviously flying and there's a good vibe,” Connolly said. “It was the perfect time to come in and I'm just trying to push as hard as I can to get into the starting XI, but Wilson is making it tough at the minute.

"He's a big personality and it's always good to have that around the dressing room, and he backs it up to be fair to him.

“He's flying, scoring goals, and I'm here to push him to be the best he can be and vice versa. We've got Eliezer as well, we're all pushing each other it can only benefit the club to have that."

Connolly arrived at Sunderland with a lot to prove after becoming a bit of a nomadic player following an initial breakthrough at Brighton.

Much of that has been due to his now well-publicised difficulties with addiction, but he says he is now ready to put down roots.

If those roots are to take hold in Sunderland, he will have to earn a new deal before the end of the season.  

" It's only a year and I had that at Hull,” Connolly said “It's tough to get settled.

"I was hoping I might get two years at Hull but that wasn't how it worked out - I was planning on maybe buying a place etc.

"That side of it, I want to get settled somewhere. I had that at Brighton and I was flying for a while, but then you're bouncing around places. I don't want to be this journeyman footballer at 26, who has had nine, 10 clubs. And this is some club.

"I said that I wanted to have somewhere in Sunderland, so I could settle here. It's a nice place and it's what I needed. It's a quiet place where I can get back to working, focusing on football.

“It's definitely somewhere I could see myself staying for a long time."