Sunderland defender Reece James has forced his way into Jack Ross’ starting line-up lately.
James was brought to Sunderland in the summer, after his contract at Wigan Athletic expired, but he didn’t feature in Jack Ross’ first-team initially.
Bryan Oviedo begun the campaign as Sunderland’s first choice at left-back, with James not even making the first two match day squads of the campaign.
However, James has proven his worth in recent weeks, following a suspension to Oviedo.
And the 25-year-old is now delighted with the progress that he is making on Wearside.
“You are worried as a footballer because you always work week in and week out to play,” he said. “It’s hard not to play but you know your chance will come if you keep working hard. It was up to me when I got it.
“I staked my claim. I feel like there is more to come from me too.
“(Now) it’s brilliant. All I wanted was to play week in and week out.”
James has played his part in Sunderland’s impressive run of form recently, which has seen them climb into League One’s automatic spots.
The Black Cats’ winning run may have come to an end last weekend, but they have still proven very difficult to beat in recent weeks.
Sunderland are next in action on Saturday when they take on Walsall at the Bescot Stadium.
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