David Healy says Trai Hume has earned his new contract at Sunderland because of the level of his performances since joining the Black Cats.
The 23-year-old signed a new long-term deal at the Stadium of Light earlier this week after a number of clubs had hoped to prise the Northern Ireland international away from the Premier League side.
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Hume has become a mainstay for club and country since making the move to Linfield back in 2022 and Healy is delighted to see his former player excel after having to wait for his big move.
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"Trai's a brilliant advert for our young academy, our football club, I think, looking at it on a bigger scale, he's a brilliant advert for the league as a whole," said Healy.
"Everybody feels that if you don't go to England or Scotland at 16 or 17, that's the end of the world. Trai, along with others in previous years, on different pathways and different generations over the last number of years, is living proof that it is not the case.
Trai Hume with his agent Lee Mudd after signing his new contract with Sunderland
Trai Hume with his agent Lee Mudd after signing his new contract with Sunderland
"In fact some of these boys can go to a different level, thrive, improve and sign new deals for a Premier League club.
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"Anybody I ever speak to, he's so well thought of at Sunderland. I would imagine in-house, I don't know how they feel, but any of the supporters, any of the people that I still know there, they absolutely adore Trai Hume, and that comes with the level of consistency, performances, the quality of his performances.
"He's captained Northern Ireland as well. I always remember watching Trai, captain the Northern Ireland Victory Shield team at 15 and 16, and again, he never got the opportunity to go across the water, for whatever reason.
"But that landed nicely for us, because we signed Trai straight away, you knew the ability. Thankfully, he's proven his worth in whatever contract that he signed at Sunderland. He's certainly earned it."