21 Under 21: Trai Hume (Sunderland)

Episode #17 | George Elek and Ali Maxwell list the most outstanding young players in the EFL.

21 Under 21 will be released every weekday at noon in June, with paid subscribers unlocking early access to all video content.

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“A defensive-minded, technically gifted full-back.” — George Elek

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Trai Hume

Sunderland — Championship, 2023-24:

• Born: 18 March 2002

• Position: Right-back/Left-back

• League Appearances: 46

• League Starts: 45

🛑 Proper Defender

Players are often pigeonholed based on their position and their style of play. Take Sunderland’s Trai Hume. The Northern Irishman is a full-back – not a wing-back. He’s not a particularly attacking player; however, he is tidy in possession and, importantly, would tackle his own Nan if he had to. In fact, Hume won more tackles than any other player in the 23/24 Championship season: some 33 more than second-placed Sam Morsy. He’s also incredibly dependable. Able to play at either right-back or left-back, Hume featured in all 46 league games for the Black Cats, starting all but one.

Born in Ballymena, Hume joined Sunderland from Linfield in January 2022. He had already played over 50 games in the NIFL Premiership, as well as featuring in the qualifying rounds of both the Champions League and the Europa Conference League. Hume has also become a regular for Norn Iron since making his debut in March 2022.

Hume’s experience and the way that he plays the game both belie his tender age. He may not be a name that jumps off the page, but he is one of the first names on the team sheet.

📈 At a glance

Pizza charts informed by match data. Each chart rates a chosen player from 0-99 across different metrics (e.g. Dribbles) according to their “percentile rank”. A 75 score shows a player outperforming 75% of other players in the dataset. Each dataset is position-specific. Negative metrics are reversed. [Credit: Riley Roberts.]

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▶️ Watch: Episode 17