TRAI HUME now feels like a fully-fledged member of Sunderland’s senior set-up – and is hoping his progress over the last 12 months will help him establish himself as a key part of the Northern Ireland squad.

After joining Sunderland from Northern Irish side Linfield in January 2022, it took a little time for Hume to establish himself at the Stadium of Light.

His opportunities were limited under former boss, Alex Neil, but his fortunes have been transformed under Tony Mowbray, who has played him at both right-back and centre-half.

Hume has started all five of Sunderland’s Championship matches this season, and having signed a new long-term contract earlier this summer, the 21-year-old is relishing his new status at the Stadium of Light.

“We have a young group at Sunderland,” said Hume. “And I feel like playing a lot last season, I have a lot of experience within the group and as I keep playing, I gain more experience.

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“At the start of the season, the first two games we lost both and I got sent off in the first one (against Ipswich) which wasn’t ideal, but we’ve brought ourselves back, got ourselves higher up the table and hopefully it’s a sign of things to come.

“When we first got promoted from League One to the Championship, I didn’t know if I was going to be ready to play or not. Around Christmas time I got put in, started playing games and I felt good so I’ve tried to establish myself at that level and it’s been good.”

Hume’s progress in the Championship has not gone unnoticed within the Northern Ireland set-up, and the defender is now a key part of Michael O’Neill’s plans as he attempts to guide his side to next summer’s Euros.

Northern Ireland are about to embark on a crucial qualifying double-header that will see them face Slovenia in Ljubljana tomorrow before heading to Astana to take on Kazakhstan on Sunday afternoon.

The Northern Echo: Trai Hume (front left) lines up as part of the Northern Ireland team in DenmarkTrai Hume (front left) lines up as part of the Northern Ireland team in Denmark (Image: PA)

With a host of senior players absent, including Sunderland midfielder Corry Evans, Hume is set to play an important role in both matches, with Northern Ireland desperately needing a couple of positive results after taking just three points from their opening four group games.

“The mood is still very high,” said Hume. “Results haven’t gone our way, but we still feel as a team we can get something out of the group because it’s wide open.

“There’s no one really ahead - it’s all very even. We feel if we got two results here, two wins puts us right back where we want to be.”