It's fair to say that the fond memories that Sunderland had in the Premier League will feel like a lifetime away for the club's supporters heading into the New Year. 

The Black Cats were relegated from the top-flight in the 2016/17 season after a disappointing campaign, and they haven't coped very well ever since.

Sunderland now find themselves in the third tier of English football, and are alarmingly sat 15th in the League One table after a winless run that stretched to nine games after a recent goalless draw against struggling Bolton Wanderers at The Stadium of Light.

One player that has gone on to bigger and better things since their relegation from the Premier League in 2017 is Jason Denayer.

The Belgian defender made 27 appearances for the Black Cats in the 2016/17 season, and struggled with injury during his time with the club.

He arrived on loan from Premier League giants Manchester City, but never adjusted well to life with Sunderland, and couldn't stop them from being relegated into the Championship.

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Denayer went on to have another loan spell in Turkey with Galatasaray after his time with Sunderland, before leaving Manchester City permanently in 2018. 

In August 2018, he signed for French club Olympique Lyonnais on a four-year deal worth a fee in the region of £6.5m.

Denayer has gone on to make 67 appearances in total for the French side, which show that he is one of the first names on the team-sheet at this moment in time.

Olympique Lyonnais are currently sat 12th in the French top-flight, and Denayer has made 22 appearances across all competitions this term, which includes featuring on five occasions in the Champions League.

Denayer has also made his mark on the international stage as well, as he has made 13 appearances for Belgium's senior side in total, after making his debut at that level at the age of 19 back in 2015.

So, it's clear to see that the defender has gone on to succeed and fare a lot better than Sunderland currently are at the moment, and he'll be keen to further his development at a high level as his playing career progresses.