'He's Sunderland through and through and we feed off that...'
Trai Hume has paid tribute to teammate Lynden Gooch, saying he is ‘Sunderland through and through’ and the rest of the squad feeds off it.
Gooch has been at Sunderland since he was just ten years old. Now 26, the American has played more than 230 games for the club in a variety of positions.
He appears to have settled into the right-back spot now, which is a problem for Hume on a personal level, but he says he also couldn’t hope to have a better mentor at the club.
“Lynden has been at this club and knows the ins and outs of it, he’s been here for years,” Hume added.
“He’s Sunderland through and through so you just have to feed off that and try and perform like him because he’s been outstanding.
"Getting game time and getting minutes is what I want. I want to keep on playing.
“But Lynden’s performances have been excellent. There’s nothing against it, he’s been top class.”
Hume has had to wait for his chances since joining from Linfield in January, but he has impressed when he has played.
WATCH: Fantastic moment Trai Hume wipes out James McClean to roars from Sunderland fans
The youngster was especially impressive in the 4-1 win over Wigan, and it’s a performance he hopes to build on with Gooch currently out with a hamstring injury.
Asked how Tony Mowbray has been managing him during his lack of games, Hume said: “He’s just trying to keep my head held high.
“I keep on asking him, ‘I want to play, I want to play’ and he keeps on telling me ‘you have to be patient. Lynden Gooch has been outstanding, I can’t drop him’ which is fine.
“I obviously watch the games when I’m on the bench and can see how well he’s performing.
“I just have to take my chance now and try to keep myself in the team.”
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