Tony Mowbray has urged Trai Hume to fight for a place in Sunderland's starting XI - insisting he will get his chance sooner or later. Northern Ireland international defender Hume has yet to start a league game this season, and the return of Bailey Wright meant Hume lost his place on the bench for the Black Cats' weekend draw against Preston North End at the Stadium of Light.
Mowbray has made a virtue of communicating with his players, and he has revealed that he pulled the 20-year-old to one side this week to offer him some encouragement. But with Lynden Gooch currently occupying the right-back role, Hume will have a battle on his hands to work his way into the team.
"I had a long chat yesterday with Trai Hume the other day," said Mowbray. "He didn't make the 18 on Saturday and I can see the disappointment in his eyes.
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"He's done nothing wrong, he is working really hard in training, and he has just come back from international duty with Ireland, yet he doesn't even get on the bench. I can feel the sadness so I pull him in my office, have a sit down and a cup of tea and a chat.
"What do I say? I'm very conscious that I don't ever want to come out with manager-spiel.
"I started life as a young player and I've had every manager tell me to just keep working hard and you'll come on and get your chance. It feels at the moment that he can't see his chance, but I'd say 'this is football, it's a competition within a competition and you have to compete with your teammates to get in this team'.
"When your chance comes, you have to be ready. You can't say to me 'I haven't played for eight weeks'.
"You have to be ready, and then it's the other guy who is moaning that he can't get back in the team. If you don't get an opportunity and the player in your position never gets injured, you have to knock on my door in January and say 'gaffer, I need to play football. I'm 19 and I want to play. I'm an international player and I want to play.'
"Then we'll assess it and see what's right for you and what's right for the club, and potentially find a loan. But let's hope you're in the team and it's Goochy knocking on my door asking why he can't get in the team, and I'm saying 'Trai is in the team, we've kept four clean sheets on the bounce and he's assisted three goals - I can't change that mate'."
Despite losing Daniel Ballard to injury early in the season, Sunderland are generally well-covered in defensive areas. Dennis Cirkin is set to return to the bench for tonight's game against Blackpool after recovering from a hamstring injury, while Wright offers cover in central defence.
And with Danny Batth, Aji Alese, Gooch, and the versatile Luke O'Nien all impressing in recent games, Mowbray admits he will find it tough to pick his best defensive line-up when everyone is fit. He said: "I try not to project forward, but I do project forward to when Ballard is fit, when Cirkin is fit, when Aji is fit - what does the team look like?
"Danny Batth, Bailey [Wright], Goochy, Luke [O'Nien]. It's only a positive thing, but they will be difficult conversations somewhere down the line - as it is for every top team, or if you're trying to become a top team or top club with good players all over the pitch.
"You can't moan that you have got too many players. Can Ballard displace Danny Batth? Let's wait and see when the time comes, and it might come through an injury or a suspension.
"Can Cirkin displace Aji, or has Aji got to be the left-back or is Cirkin the left-back? Who is going to be at right-back? Is it going to be Luke O'Nien in a few months - I don't know the answer and I don't need to know the answer at the moment.
"I'm focusing on the day's training and the next game and who is available and what the selection looks like and getting the right team on the pitch. Having Cirkin and Aji fit at the same time will only be a positive for me.
"Cirkin did really well before picking up his injury, and Aji has come in and done just exactly what you would want him to do."
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