Elliot Embleton has spoken about Sunderland’s need to ‘react’ as pre-season preparations slowly ramp up ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.
The Black Cats find themselves in the third tier of the English football pyramid for only the second time in their 139-year history this season.
After a disappointing couple of years which has seen the Black Cats drop from the Premier League to Sky Bet League One, Embleton is now part of a new crop of players beginning to emerge at the Academy of Light.
While the club’s academy has been a hotbed of success in recent years, England youth international Embleton is now looking to follow in the footsteps of those before him as he looks to get ‘his’ club back to where they belong.
“Last season I wanted to play more for the first team,” he said.
“When I look at what Joel (Asoro) and Josh (Maja) achieved last season, I wasn’t frustrated because they are my mates and I want them to do well but I do feel as though I could’ve inputted myself and played more minutes than I did.
“It was a great moment last season to make my first-team debut, but I now want more. I want to show what I can do because it was a little frustrating.
“I see there is an opportunity going forward now. Sunderland is my team, it’s where I am from, and I want to play for the first team.
“I’ve come up through the academy, through each age group, and now it would mean so much to help rebuild this club.
“I used to watch Sunderland play in the Premier League and I want to be part of the team that helps get the club back there.
“It would mean so much to me if I could help do that.
“I want to play here, and I want to get the chance to impress the new manager,” he continued.
“We need to react to where we are. Things happen but that doesn’t mean things can’t change, we just need to react, do things right and then I’m sure we will get back to where we belong.”