Dan Ballard of Sunderland is comforted by Northern Ireland and Sunderland teammate Trai Hume
Northern Ireland defender Trai Hume says Sunderland must learn from their disappointing loss to fellow Premier League new boys Burnley.
The Black Cats went down 2-0 at Turf Moor in a game that saw Hume’s teammate for club and country, Dan Ballard, carried off.
Sunderland assistant manager Luciano Vulcano told the press on Monday that the club are still awaiting more information on the defender’s injury.
He said: “Dan is having a scan today so we will hopefully have more information soon.”
Like Hume, Ballard has been named by Michael O’Neill in the squad for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg and Germany.
Reflecting on Sunderland’s defeat at Turf Moor, Hume said: “We were right in the match for large periods,” he explained.
Daniel Ballard and Trai Hume of Sunderland
“But at this level, you’ve got to take your chances when they come. Burnley did that today and it made the difference. It’s something we need to learn from.
“The fans were unbelievable again today,” he added.
“Even at the end, when it wasn’t going our way, they were still there supporting us. That means so much to the lads, and we know how important they’re going to be across the season. We’ll give everything to make sure we bounce back.”
The Black Cats face Huddersfield Town on Tuesday night in the Carabao Cup.
“This week is about analysing where we could have done things differently,” Hume said. “But we can’t dwell on it too long. We’ve got Huddersfield in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night and then Brentford at home in the league on Saturday. They are two really important games for us to respond in.”