Sunderland suffered back-to-back relegations to drop into League One.
Sunderland have suffered badly in recent times, after back-to-back relegations.
The Black Cats have had to oversee a complete restructure, following their fall into League One.
And McLaughlin admits that his chance to play at the Stadium of Light would never have come, if Sunderland hadn’t hit upon hard times.
“It’s unfortunate that the club has had to go through this for us to get a chance at a club like this,” he said. “This might have been out of reach for a lot of us, we have had to take advantage of the situation but now we are in it, it is huge.
“You have to take that opportunity you have been given and make the most of it. If you can get in on the ground floor of a club like this and ride your way back up then that could be a dream come true. Hopefully it is just the start of something bigger.”
McLaughlin has already proven his worth to Sunderland this term, through his performances in goal.
Sunderland spent all of last season looking for a reliable number one, but they failed to find it.
McLaughlin has finally been the reliable presence that the Black Cats wanted in goal, and he has caught the eye with his showings.
Sunderland have forced their way up to third in the League One table, and they are now really pushing for a place in the automatic promotion spots, after five wins on the bounce.
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