Jack Ross reveals the lengths he went to in order to sign George Dobson for Sunderland

The promising midfielder has enjoyed a strong start to his Sunderland career and it hasn’t surprised Ross.

Ross said: “I was really keen to bring him in, I really pushed to get him in the summer from early on.

“It maybe looked as if we had different priorities and maybe the club felt we had to recruit in different areas first, but I kept chipping away at it.

“I was probably a bit of a pest with it, I really wanted him in.

“I was so impressed with him last season, for the reasons that he showed against Burnley.

“He's tenacious, got an energy about his game, but he's a good player as well.

“And he's played over 100 games at 21, which shows a strength of character.”