Former Sunderland defender Joel Lynch has lifted the lid on his time with the Black Cats, during an exclusive interview with Football League World. 

The centre back joined up with the North East outfit during the summer of 2019 after being released by Queens Park Rangers and became one of the club's first signings during their second season under Jack Ross.

However after only two months of being at the club, Lynch saw Ross get the sack, leading to the appointment of Phil Parkinson as the Scot's successor.

FLW journalist Chris Thorpe got to get into the details of his time at Sunderland with the 33-year-old during a recent interview, whilst Lynch also gave his views on the appointment of Lee Johnson at the Stadium of Light.

“I was so desperate to stay in the Championship to prove my point and show I was still up to it and then Sunderland came in and because of the size of the club and the potential it has, it was a no brainer for me to sign at the time.

“A lot of players that have been in and out of the club realise the pressure and the expectations that are placed upon them there, it’s something that was tough to handle at times.

“I got a bad injury towards the end there and I was taken to hospital etc and then I got back to full fitness and then COVID hit, so I never really got to prove my point there and earn myself another year.

“It was a disappointing time for me, but it was a good experience. It’s a crazy club, they desperately want to get out of that league, but it’s not as easy as that, the pressure on the players in League One at Sunderland is immense, it’s completely different to play for them as opposed to any other club I’ve played for before.

“I do think he’s (Lee Johnson) the kind of guy that can get them up, you look at what he did at Bristol City and they were definitely one of the best teams in the Championship at that time.

“I’ve spoken to a couple of the lads recently and they’ve said great stuff about him, but again it’s just about the fact that it’s such a high-pressured job, it’s literally win or nothing, they’re so desperate to get back to where they deserve to be.

“The squad they have is much better than any of the other club in League One I think, and they need to get back to the Championship under the new manager because I don’t think the last manager (Phil Parkinson) was the guy to do it.”