Frankie Francis and former Sunderland player Danny Collins were joined by current Black Cats attacker Chris Maguire on the latest edition of the SAFC Unfiltered podcast and Maguire spent some time talking about the Black Cats’ dressing room, and his role in it, during the show.
Maguire is one of the most senior members of the current Sunderland squad. As per Transfermarkt, the 31-year-old attacker is the third-oldest member of the Black Cats’ squad at present. Grant Leadbitter (34) and Aiden McGeady (34) are the only two members of the current Sunderland squad who are older than Maguire.
The former Scotland international spent some time talking about the current Sunderland squad, which he describes as being a “young squad” and his role within the Black Cats’ dressing room at present, as one of the club’s most experienced players, during his recent appearance on the SAFC Unfiltered podcast, saying: “We’ve got quite a young squad, to be honest.
“There’s not very many older, experienced pros in the team. Normally, I’m used to being in a dressing room and there [are] older pros in it and you’re sometimes in a dressing room with players that have played in Premier Leagues and [at a] higher level, so at the moment, we’ve got a young squad, it’s a hungry squad, it’s a squad that’s willing to learn.”
The Scottish attacker was then asked about his role within Sunderland’s dressing room, as one of the more experienced players in the current squad, to which he replied: “I kind of keep myself to myself.
“I’ll give feedback out at times. When I was coming through as a young boy in the first team, compared to now, the game’s totally changed. You can try and help some people – and some people, maybe it goes in one ear, out the other and they don’t listen.
“Whereas when you were a younger boy going back years ago, when I was first breaking through, to train with the first team and be involved and get a first-team player talking to you and feedback, it was a big thing.”
Do you think that Maguire is a leader?
YES
NO
TIF Thoughts…
While Maguire suggested that some of Sunderland’s younger players don’t listen particularly well when getting advice from the team’s more experienced players, the 31-year-old did declare that the current Black Cats squad is one that is “hungry” and “willing to learn.”
With that in mind, while the attacker believes that “the game’s totally changed” compared to how it was when he was first breaking through to first-team football, it appears as though he does have faith in the Black Cats’ younger players, which is a good sign for the North East club’s future.