“It feels great to be honest” said a delighted Jack Clarke after the winger made a permanent return to Sunderland last week and it seems as though the 21-year-old will quickly settle back into familiar surroundings.

To quote a certain Nina Simone, he's 'feeling good' about the season ahead.

He continued: “After last season finishing on such a high, there was nowhere else I really wanted to go back and play football. To get the deal done and over the line was just a massive thing for me and my family and everybody else associated.”

Clarke played a starring role in the Black Cats ascent to the Championship in the second half of the season. 20 appearances and one goal helped them to achieve promotion via the League One play-offs. It was Clarke’s mazy run and cross to Patrick Roberts that Sunderland grab a vital winner in the play-off semi finals against Sheffield Wednesday that sent them on their way to Wembley.

After no improvements in his chances of making the first-team at Tottenham Hotspur, Clarke and Sunderland worked to get a deal over the line and he comes in as their second permanent signing of the summer with Daniel Ballard also joining the club from Arsenal.

He makes the step back down to the Championship after his time at Spurs failed to reach the heights all parties had hoped for after a reported fee of £8.5 million was paid for his services back in the summer of 2019.

Clarke is no stranger to the second tier having spent time on loan with Stoke and Queens Park Rangers. Does he see himself settling straight back into the division as well as his team?

“Hopefully so but you never know” he replied. “The Championship is developing all the time. It’s changing and it’s a very difficult league to be honest so we’ve got to all be ready and raring to go for the first game of the season and hopefully we will get off to the right start.

“I’m feeling good to be honest. Obviously came in a bit later than the lads and started my pre-season a little bit later than a few of the lads but with only the short time in between seasons, I didn’t feel like I’d lost too much to be honest so I think I’m ready.”

Clarke has been in training with the Sunderland squad in pre-season as the Black Cats step up their preparations for the new season. They kick off their new campaign in the second tier at home to Coventry City at the Stadium of Light on Sunday 31st July.

Before then, friendly games against Roma, Dundee United, Accrington Stanley and Hartlepool United await them with their tie against Jose Mourinho’s side being played tomorrow evening before they head back to UK soil.

Clarke hopes he can get his first minutes of pre-season under his belt as he added: “As a player you just want to be involved in any game possible. I think that is what excites you as a player. You train all week to be involved in the game so if you are not involved in the game then it’s disappointing so hopefully I get my first minutes this season.”

Meanwhile, full-back Niall Huggins has been out with Sunderland during their pre-season tour as he continues to recover from a long-term back injury.

After signing a four-year deal joining from Leeds United, Huggins has made just four appearances in all competitions for the Black Cats. He has been training away from the first-team in Portugal.