George Honeyman was a regular fixture in Sunderland’s first team last season.
Sunderland find themselves in League One next season after relegation from the Championship last term.
The Black Cats will be hoping to bounce back at the first time of asking, especially now they have a new owner in Stewart Donald as well as a new manager in Jack Ross.
However, Sunderland’s promotion bid certainly won’t be easy – and it will be important for Sunderland’s new manager to maintain a consistent core week-in week-out when the 42-year-old comes down to the nitty gritty of team selections.
And at the centre of Sunderland’s new-look League One side should be 23-year-old North-East born George Honeyman.
The man from Prudhoe was often an influential figure in Sunderland’s midfield last season, despite his side failing to stay in the second division.
Sunderland will require a core of players who can stand up to the test of time in a league which is physically demanding – and Honeyman proved last season he is capable of doing just that after the midfielder played a part in 45 games, clocking up over 3500 minutes on the pitch.
Not only did Honeyman play his fair share of games last term, the youngster scored seven goals – some of which could have been very important had Sunderland’s defensive and goalkeeping unit not collapsed on a number of occasions.
Former Black Cats manager Chris Coleman had previously praised the youngster’s passion and attitude – and even suggested the Wearsider’s should build a team around Honeyman in the future.
Arguably most importantly, Honeyman is clearly admired by the Sunderland faithful and building a team around a player who fans can relate to will be important for Sunderland’s new boss.
Honeyman certainly ticks all the boxes to be a Sunderland player whom the team is built around – all the midfielder must do is perform to his capabilities when the Black Cats embark on a new era next term.
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