Hume 'a leader' as O'Neill assesses captaincy options

Three years ago, Trai Hume was lining out for Linfield in the Irish Premiership. On Thursday, he will captain Northern Ireland for the first time.

It has been a remarkable rise for the 22-year-old, who has not only settled at Sunderland since joining in January 2022, but thrived at a side who sit unbeaten at the top of the Championship.

The defender says it will be an "honour" to captain Northern Ireland in Thursday's Nations League opener with Luxembourg.

He made his international debut two months after his move, and just 13 caps down the line he will lead out Northern Ireland at Windsor Park - the same stadium where he used to impress for Linfield.

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill has spoken about how he plans to rotate the armband in the Nations League as he looks for a long-term successor for the retired Jonny Evans, but it says a lot that Hume is the player who is the first to get the nod in the campaign.

Hume, who says he was taken by surprise when he was told about the captaincy following the final training session ahead of the game, admits it has been a "fast process".

O'Neill, however, says it is a much-deserved reward for the form that has seen him become a fan favourite at both club and country.

"Not many players come out of the Irish League and step into English football and play with that level of consistency," O'Neill said.

"He may not be the captain at Sunderland but he is a leader. I’ve no hesitation in saying he will do a good job."

Wearing the armband for Northern Ireland on Thursday will not be Hume's first experience as a captain.

He captained Ballymena United and Linfield coming through the ranks, and skippered Northern Ireland at Under-17 and Under-19 level.

Despite this being the first occasion in senior football, the defender is hoping that being skipper will not impact his game.

"I wouldn’t really say it is a big change but this is international football and the senior men's team so it could be a bit of a difference but I’ll try and take it in my stride.

"I don't think it will really change anything for me, I'm just putting something on my arm.

"It's still a game, I'm still going out there to win. I'm trying to put in the best performance I can, try and help my team mates out and try to win."

Despite missing out on Euro 2024 qualification, O'Neill's charges have been in good form with three wins in their last five matches thanks to victories over Denmark, Scotland and Andorra. Their only defeat came in June against eventual European champions Spain.

However, Northern Ireland will look to improve on a dismal record in the Nations League with just one win in 16 matches.

Luxembourg visit Belfast in the first of six fixtures in the campaign, with O'Neill's side travelling to Bulgaria on Sunday.

A double-header with Belarus follows before the concluding fixtures with Luxembourg and the Bulgarians.

O'Neill says it is "an opportunity to look at the group" as he assesses his options to replace Manchester United defender Evans, who in turn took over from long-time skipper Steven Davis.

"Trai's going to be an important player for me whether he wears the armband or not. He's already demonstrated that," O'Neill added.

"I've no doubt Trai will wear the armband well, but I don't envisage he will play any differently than he does for his club because he shows all those qualities anyway."