Leeds United target wins his Nation’s Player of the Year award, manager thinks he is ‘brilliant’

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Sunderland player Trai Hume has won the Northern Ireland Player of the Year award for 2023, after starring for club and country over the past 12 months – amid reports Leeds United are interested.

Hume, 21, joined Sunderland in January 2022 – playing just 37 times before the start of the 2023-24 campaign. But this season, the Northern Ireland star has clocked up 24 appearances for the Black Cats.

Alongside his improved game time and form with Sunderland, which has seen him start all 24 games for the Wearside club this season in the Championship – he has won 10 caps for Northern Ireland, already.

Eight of those 10 caps have come in 2023. A player that Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill said he has tried to sign while he was in charge at Stoke City, and described as “brilliant” back in September.

Leeds, Leicester and Burnley are all said to be interested in a move to sign Hume, ahead of the January window. Carlton Palmer recently discussed interest in Hume, urging Sunderland to keep him next month.

Trai Hume wins Northern Ireland POTY award after Leeds reports

Hume has probably been the best right-sided defender in the Championship this season, or at least in the conversation. Leeds could do with a right-back, moving forward. Right now, it is not a concern.

But come the end of the season, Leeds could wave goodbye to Luke Ayling, Jamie Shackleton, Sam Byram and Stuart Dallas – who are all out of contract in June. Djed Spence is only on loan from Spurs.

So it might be that Leeds do target a move for a right-back come the summer and Hume has to be right at the top of list. The issue is, that Hume has a contract at Sunderland until the summer of 2028.