“Then the manager and the coaching staff, they made the point to me that they progress players and that's what I wanted. "They improve players and that's what I wanted, and I also wanted to be part of the journey to get this club back to where it deserves to be.

"When I first came in I sat down with the manager and went through a lot of things.

“We spoke about stuff and I was really impressed by what he showed me and what he was saying and then we spoke again on the phone, and I was really impressed again. "So that was a massive reason that I came here.” Willis is expected to be in action once again when Sunderland take on Portuguese outfit Belenenses on Friday at the Estadio Municipal de Albufeira before the club return to England to undergo their final preparations for the upcoming League One campaign. The Verdict When you consider just how close Sunderland were to achieving promotion last season, they should be right in the mix for a top-two finish once again in 2020. Yet to have the best chance of getting over the winning line, it is imperative that Ross gets his recruitment right this summer and thus bringing in Willis could very turn out to be somewhat of a transfer masterstroke. Fantastic for Coventry in League One last season, the defender helped Mark Robins' side secure an eighth-place finish by producing a tremendous level of consistency throughout his 38 appearances for the club. If he can replicate this form in a Sunderland shirt next season, there is no reason why he cannot play an integral role in getting the club back on its feet after a dramatic fall from grace over the past two years.