Danny Rose paid tribute to Sunderland on his return to the Stadium of Light with the England national team.
The Tottenham Hotspur defender spent the 2012-13 season on loan with the Black Cats, and he enjoyed a successful time on Wearside before returning to White Hart Lane and becoming a key member of the Spurs squad.
Now widely regarded as one of the best players in his position, Rose hailed Sunderland from top to bottom ahead of England’s 2-1 win over Australia at a sold-out Stadium of Light.
The left-back didn’t feature against the Socceroos as Marcus Rashford stole the headlines, but on the evidence below it was still a very special evening for Rose at a place he will never forget.
“The year was massive,” Rose told the England matchday programme. “Without Sunderland giving me that chance, I don’t think I would be here doing this interview.
“It meant everything to have a club that was willing to believe in me and show me and my family great affection, even now when I go there.”
He continued: “I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done for me and for a club to give you that chance and believe in you means the world – they treated me as if I came up through the academy system.
“I did really well there winning man of the match awards and having the fans sing my name, and Martin O’Neill had a great impact on how I was playing.
“I still try to go up there and watch games whenever I can – I went to the game against Everton where they won o stay up – and it’s a good three and a half hours from London, but I don’t think there’s any other way I can say thank you to Sunderland.
“It’s something that I’ve done before and I’ll keep doing whenever I get the chance.”
