Dutch defender Wouter Verstratten has admitted that it feels "special" for him to have attracted interest from a club such as Sunderland.

It was reported back in February that the former PSV Eindhoven defender had joined the Black Cats on trial, having previously been with non-league side South Shields, with Black Cats manager Phil Parkinson confirming that the club had been looking at the free-agent market in search of defensive cover following an injury to on-loan Bristol City man Bailey Wright.

Now Verstratten has opened up on his ongoing time at the club, which he does seem to be enjoying.

Speaking in an interview with Eindhovens Dagblad in his native Holland about his spell training with Sunderland so far, Verstratten said: “They had seen me play and showed interest. Special, yes."

Assessing his chances of securing a deal at Sunderland long-term, it seems Verstratten is cautiously optimistic about his prospects, as he added: "I am realistic, but during that trial I noticed that I was participating at the level (required)."

Sunderland are currently seventh in the League One table, having dropped out of the play-off places following a run of four games without a win.

The Verdict

This is an interesting one.

Given the size of Sunderland, you can certainly understand why Verstratten would be excited by the chance to play for the Black Cats.

Indeed, having seemingly previously missed out on his chance to make it in the professional during his time at PSV, this is an opportunity that the defender will surely be desperate not to miss out on.

Verstratten's own assessment of his performances so far do appear to be encouraging for him, but with a number of other options now emerging for the Black Cats in defence, you have to wonder whether that deal will still emerge for the defender.