“My journey is probably a lot different to a lot of people,” admitted Hume.
“I missed out on going across the water at 16 years of age. I didn’t get picked by a lot of clubs and was told I wasn’t ready, and things like that.”
Hume said he “worked my socks off” to earn a move to England, and he’s been on Sunderland’s journey from League One to the Premier League.
“I like to think I deserve the opportunity that I’ve got,” he added.
“When I first moved to Sunderland they gave me time to adapt and get ready, and when I was ready to play I had my chance and thankfully took it. Now I am where I am, and I want to keep on pushing.”
Ballard said “it’s down to the individual a lot of the time” after he joined the academy at Arsenal as an eight-year-old.
“At Arsenal, from the outside it’s probably the perfect way to be brought up,” he added.
“But then a lot of players get lost in that system and Trai is a great example of coming through at a club that didn’t have the same facilities, but it just shows that it comes down to the individual.
“You have to put the work in yourself. No amount of facilities of coaches at that young age are going to turn you into a good player.”
