Josh Maja has admitted he is valuing every second of his time training with Sunderland’s first-team.
The Sunderland under-18 forward was called into a first-team training session on the understanding he was there to merely make up the numbers.
But the 17-year-old produced an impressive performance that caught the eye of Sam Allardyce, which has now ensured he is training with the first team on a regular basis.
Maja’s hard work is really beginning to pay off and while he has admitted he can’t afford to get too carried away, he revealed he’s enjoying the experience of working alongside seasoned professionals.
“I took the chance and they were impressed with me, but now I have got to continue to perform in training,” he said.
“I’m a very humble person, quite relaxed and I just try to work as hard as I can because I know how great this opportunity is, so hopefully I can continue to do that.
“Jermain Defoe is very inspirational and he helps me all the time in training. It’s great to have someone who has been in the game for that long to work alongside and help me in each session.”
He continued: “Sam Allardyce is a great manager and has a lot of experience so it’s amazing to have been given a chance to show him what I can do in training and hopefully I can continue to do that.”
It has been a fine year for the Academy of Light as Duncan Watmore, Jordan Pickford and Lynden Gooch have all made their first-team debuts in the last 12 months.
And Maja, who hopes to become the next player to bridge the gap, was included in the first-team warm-up on Sunday ahead of the 0-0 draw with Arsenal.
“It was a great. I was quite relaxed and I enjoyed it.
“If there is a chance that comes my way hopefully I can take it.”
