Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill has insisted that he is well aware of Sunderland star Trai Hume’s leadership qualities with or without the skipper’s armband.
Hume has been on the books of Sunderland since January 2022 and has established himself as an integral part of the side.
The 22-year-old has featured 88 times for the Black Cats and has represented his national team 12 times at senior level as well.
The Northern Ireland boss does not see Hume playing any differently for the national team than he does at his club.
Hume will be captaining his national team during this international break and O’Neill trusts the Sunderland star man’s ability to lead.
“Trai’s going to be an important player for me whether he wears the armband or not.
“He’s already demonstrated that”, O’Neill was quoted as saying by the BBC about the Black Cats’ defender.
“I’ve no doubt Trai will wear the armband well, but I don’t envisage he will play any differently than he does for his club because he shows all those qualities anyway.”
Hume will be looking to lead his nation towards victory tonight when Northern Ireland face Luxembourg in the Nations League.
