Ian Baraclough believes Trai Hume was the 'best player on the pitch' on his Sunderland debut after giving him his first senior call up for Northern Ireland. Hume was handed his maiden appearance for the Black Cats in a 2-1 defeat to Cheltenham Town last month following his January move from Linfield.
That is just one of his two appearances for Sunderland so far, with the 19-year-old having to resort predominantly to a place on the bench. Despite that, Northern Ireland boss Baraclough has seen enough from Hume to name him in the squad for friendly matches against Luxembourg and Hungary after appearing at under-17s, under-19s and under-21s level for his country.
The 19-year-old has already made over 60 senior appearances during his brief career, with his spells at Ballymena United and Linfield FC enabling him to become one of the most highly rated youngsters in Northern Ireland. Speaking after naming his squad, Baraclough revealed just how impressed he has been with Hume both during his time at Linfield, and now at Sunderland.
READ MORE: Trai Hume earns first senior international call-up
He said: "He's gone to Sunderland at the right time having had a really good season here [in Northern Ireland]. He went on loan to Ballymena and then got into the Linfield team, David Healy did a really good job with Trai in particular.
"You can see he was physically ready. I saw his Sunderland debut and I thought he was excellent, I thought he was the best player on the pitch and that says something about a young lad. He was assured. The right back spot is very competitive at the moment. I'm not saying he's there to stay but he's got the attributes to put a case forward.
"He can play right-sided centre back as well, particularly in a three. He's suspended for the U21s game against Slovakia, so he'll get some experience in with us [instead]."
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