Sunderland duo George Honeyman and Lynden Gooch have been given plenty of game time this season.
Gooch and Honeyman have both been offered plenty of first-team chances at Sunderland since Ross arrived.
And it was the youngsters’ attitudes which caught the eye of the Scottish boss straight away.
He said: “I noticed very early in the job when I watched players warming up how Lynden and George Honeyman got it right every time and that’s credit to how they’ve been educated in the academy.
“Kevin Ball was responsible for that group and they’ve got really good habits as well as being good players. They just fit with the club and have that passion for it as well.”
Gooch and Honeyman have repaid Ross’ faith, as the Sunderland pair have put in some strong performances this season.
The duo look comfortable at League One level, where Sunderland are making a big push for promotion.
The Black Cats are currently in fourth place in the standings, but they have games in hand over all their promotion rivals.
Sunderland are next in action at the weekend, when they take on Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium.
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