The Premier League is a league of global talent, with scouts searching the European and South American markets for the next breakout stars.
These regions have become grounds for unearthing players who, with the right development, can be moulded into high-potential players before being flipped for sizeable profits.
However, while this has brought success, an increasingly overlooked market is the EFL Championship.
The Championship is one of the world’s most physically and tactically demanding leagues.
Its pace, differing tactical ideals between teams, and physical nature mirror many of the challenges players face in the Premier League.
It is a hotbed for talent and provides an environment where players test their doggedness and adaptability.
The league continues to produce players capable of competing at the highest level, such as Jarrod Bowen, Michael Olise, Ollie Watkins, and most recently, Adam Wharton. It is a ground for players aspiring to make the leap to the rigours of the Premier League.
In this demanding environment lies Trai Hume, a player whose tactical flexibility and key role in Sunderland’s promotion push have placed him among the league’s most exciting full-back prospects.
Who Is Trai Hume?
At just 22 years old, the Northern Ireland international is the modern full-back: solid in his one-on-one duels and attacking creativity.
Hume’s development at Sunderland has been steady.
He has reached a stage where he is now capable of influencing all phases of play.
Hume can overlap and underlap and has shown the ability to invert into midfield.
This analysis delves into the specific tactical and technical aspects of Hume’s game, offering an assessment of his strengths, areas for improvement, and ability to do well in the Premier League.
Trai Hume Defensive Abilities
In the modern game, defending is no longer confined to reactive actions but demands proactive and intelligent interventions.
Trai Hume is able to anticipate danger, position himself and neutralise threats before they materialise.
Hume’s ability to engage in duels against opposition wingers is one of his standout traits.
Hume’s 49.2 per cent success rate in tackling dribblers put him above average for Championship full-backs.
His approach is due to his excellent defensive body orientation.
He uses his hips and shoulders to steer attackers into less advantageous areas, often towards the touchline and away from central zones. Hume’s possession-adjusted interception rate of 1.4 per 90 minutes reflects his ability to read the game and disrupt the opposition’s build-up.
He positions himself in passing lanes and cuts off forward options.
Additionally, Hume demonstrates a good understanding of spatial coverage.
He recognises when to tuck inside to cover for his centre-backs or track diagonal runners into central channels.
His ability to recover quickly in transition prevents overload scenarios in wide areas and makes him useful for maintaining compactness or contributing as an auxiliary centre-back in defensive phases.
This sequence from Sunderland’s home league game against Portsmouth in January highlights Trai Hume’s excellent interception of danger.
The play also includes his transitional decision-making and the importance of resetting possession to establish control.
In the initial phase of the sequence, Portsmouth’s Freddie Potts wins an aerial duel, heading the ball into the path of Marlon Pack.
Pack receives the ball in a central position, facing forward, while Sunderland’s backline begins to retreat.
Pack’s body orientation and his ability to play a forward pass in a dangerous central zone signal Sunderland’s midfield to step forward and apply pressure.
At the same time, the backline retreats to maintain depth and prevent a direct through-ball.
Pack then attempts to play a pass ahead of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, targeting the space behind and engaging Sunderland’s defensive line.
However, Trai Hume reads the play, stepping into the passing lane to intercept the ball.
His decision to step forward rather than hold the defensive line demonstrates his anticipation and proactive defending.
By reading the trajectory of the ball and understanding Mendez-Laing’s intended run, Hume positions himself to intercept the pass using his stronger foot.
His action shows his awareness of both the ball’s movement and the attacking player’s intent.
Defending passing lanes is a key defensive principle, and Hume’s positioning in the path of the ball nullifies the threat before it materialises.
Additionally, Hume avoids overcommitting or diving into a challenge, instead relying on his body positioning and timing to win the ball.
After winning the ball, Hume can play the ball forward into a potentially unorganised attacking phase or reset possession by passing backward to goalkeeper Anthony Patterson.
In this moment, Hume demonstrates excellent transitional decision-making.
Counterattacking Portsmouth at this moment is possible, but Sunderland’s midfield and forward lines are not yet positioned to dominate the next phase of play.
Playing forward in this situation could result in a turnover and expose Sunderland to a second-phase counterattack.
Hume opts to pass back to Patterson, showing an understanding of game management.
This allows Sunderland to regain their shape, locate their reference points, and begin building their next attack from a more controlled and settled structure.
This is from Sunderland’s game against Middlesbrough in February 2024 and shows Hume’s excellent defensive awareness and his ability to apply out-of-possession principles, such as cover and balance.
The play demonstrates his capacity to read the game, cover depth for his centre-backs, and intervene proactively to deny a shot on goal.
The passage begins with Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney driving into central space with the ball.
Sunderland’s midfield is stretched, which allows Hackney to progress unopposed into a dangerous area.
Hackney then plays the ball to attacking midfielder Finn Azaz, who positions himself between Sunderland’s defensive and midfield lines.
This positioning creates a problem for Sunderland’s defence.
Dan Ballard, one of Sunderland’s centre-backs, is positioned to face Azaz and the ball, but this leaves Sam Greenwood, who is moving into the blind spot behind Ballard, untracked.
Ballard’s focus is entirely on Azaz and the ball, making it difficult for him to anticipate Greenwood’s next move.
Ballard’s body orientation, which is square to the ball, further limits his ability to monitor both Azaz and Greenwood and leaves Sunderland vulnerable to an attacking run from Greenwood.
Azaz capitalises on this by threading a well-weighted pass into the path of Greenwood.
Greenwood times his run and exploits the space behind Ballard.
Ballard attempts to play Greenwood offside, but his square-on body positioning and inability to react to Greenwood’s movement make this difficult to execute.
As a result, Greenwood finds himself in a dangerous position, running onto the through ball with a clear opportunity to shoot on goal.
This is where Trai Hume’s defensive intelligence becomes important.
Positioned wider and deeper than Ballard, Hume recognises the danger developing in front of him.
He reads Azaz’s intent to play Greenwood through and adjusts his position to track Greenwood’s run.
Hume shows spatial awareness and anticipation by identifying the threat early and moving quickly to close the gap to block Greenwood’s shot.
Trai Hume In-Possession Abilities
Hume is capable of being part of the build-up play.
His progressive carry distance of 65.6 meters per 90 minutes shows how he can drive forward and break from the defensive third to the middle third.
His composure under pressure and close control make him a reliable outlet to bypass the press and relieve pressure on his midfielders.
In addition to his ball-carrying, Hume’s passing is a key element of his progressive play.
Delivering 1.88 passes or crosses into the penalty area per 90 minutes, he provides a direct route to goal.
His passing range includes low-driven balls into the box, lofted crosses aimed at aerial targets, and diagonal switches. Hume’s off-the-ball movement also demonstrates his ability to manipulate opposition.
His overlapping and underlapping runs are well-timed, taking into account his direct opponent and the tactical challenges they create.
When playing alongside inverted wingers, Hume’s overlapping runs stretch the opposition horizontally, creating space in central areas for attacking midfielders or strikers to exploit.
He maintains width and gives Sunderland an additional option in the attacking phase.
Conversely, Hume excels at making underlapping runs into the half-spaces and creates overloads in central areas.
In a home fixture against Sheffield Wednesday, Trai Hume displays how his off-the-ball movement, particularly third-man runs, can create dangerous attacking opportunities.
He starts in a situational back three and drives forward with purpose, playing the ball into Patrick Roberts.
Robert shifts the ball inside to Chris Rigg, which triggers Hume to make an overlapping run into the space created by this movement.
Hume’s third-man run drags the Sheffield Wednesday left back out side and forces the defenders to react.
Hume delivers a dangerous pass into the box for Eliezer Mayenda, which was overhit.
Trai Hume Data Analysis
When compared to his Sunderland teammate and fellow full-back Dennis Cirkin, Hume’s profile highlights his defensive versatility and playmaking.
Hume stands out in aerial duels won, progressive passes per 90, and dangerous passes per 90.
Cirkin, on the other hand, excels in attacking metrics such as shots per 90, dribbles per 90, and penalty area touches per 90, reflecting his more attacking playing style.
While Hume thrives in creating stability and progressing the ball, Cirkin offers a more attacking threat, making both players valuable assets with complementary skill sets.
Hume vs Cirkin
The second radar chart further supports Hume’s case as a modern, well-rounded full-back.
His percentile ranks in progressive passes per 90 (78.1) and dangerous passes per 90 (80.03) highlight his ability to move the ball forward and contribute to chance creation.
Additionally, his strong opposition penalty area touches per 90 (73.3) and accurate passes percentage (79.2%) indicate his composure and offensive involvement in advanced areas, making him a dual threat.
While Hume is a well-rounded player, there are areas that could elevate his game further.
His creative output in open play can be worked on, as he currently averages just 0.3 open play shots created for teammates per 90 minutes.
Similarly, his execution in the final third could benefit from refinement, where he can be more adventurous with his pass selection.
Conclusion
Trai Hume’s profile and his emergence as one of the best right-backs in the league suggest he is ready to make the step up to the Premier League.
In a competition where full-backs play increasingly vital roles, Hume’s multifacetedness is a quality that many Premier League teams will highly value.