Aaron Connolly is loving life in the city of Sunderland and explains he’s beginning to realise just how massive a club SAFC is…
MASSIVE CLUB
“I think there were really three moments when I properly realised the size of the club. First, it was when my dad was driving me up here. I was watching the Sunderland v Middlesbrough game on my phone, and you could just see the atmosphere. Then, there was the Leeds home game. Then, I was in the gym, and I think I saw four different people wearing Sunderland shirts. It’s a massive, massive club, and it’s something I underestimated before I came here.”
I FEEL OLD
“It’s crazy. There’s Riggy, Jobe, then Romaine (Mundle) at 21, Trai (Hume), Dennis, it’s mental how many talented young players are here. Before I came here, you’d seen how talented they are playing against them, but then you see them day in, day out and the work they put in. Then, you see the size of the club, and I had no idea to be honest. I knew it was a big club but it's only when you come here you truly realise. I'm only 24, but I feel ancient. I’m usually the youngest in the changing room, I have been at Brighton, Hull and Middlesbrough. But now I have people like Riggy, who was born in 2007, and that’s crazy to me. Hopefully, I can help them as much as I can. I’ve had experience at the highest level. I’m sure they’ll play at that level, hopefully at this club, and the more I settle, the more I can help.”
SQUAD QUALITY
“It’s right up there (with the groups he played with at Brighton). And these are experienced players despite their age. The likes of Jobe and Dennis have played a lot of football, then there’s someone like Patrick Roberts, who has played for Manchester City. The comparison is obvious - young, hungry talent, ready to play at the highest level.”
BEING OPEN ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH
“The whole point is that you don’t hear it (footballers talking so openly). I don’t know how many footballers in the game or the Championship are having similar problems, but there are bound to be more than just me that are struggling with it. In one recent game, a player from the opposition side came up to me and said, ‘Well done, that interview was so brave’. It's just little things like that. Others don't need to come out publicly like I did, but if some people benefit from it, then I'll take a lot from that.”
