Former Newcastle United player Steve Howey has admitted that he feels that Max Power never lived up to his potential during his time at Sunderland, during an exclusive interview with Football League World. 

The 27-year-old midfielder was one of a bunch of players who were released by the Black Cats last month as they look to trim their current squad after missing out on promotion once again.

Power originally joined the club back in January 2019 from Wigan Athletic and went on to become a key cog in the side under first Phil Parkinson and then Lee Johnson as the club failed to achieve their objective of getting back into the Sky Bet Championship.

Capable of playing in various roles, Power even filled in at right back last term as Sunderland looked to cope with the blow of having various defenders side lined by injury and was arguably a pretty consistent performer under Johnson during the closing stages of the campaign.

However the midfield player has now departed the Stadium of Light, with Howey recently telling FLW that he feels the former Tranmere Rovers man never really lived up to the potential that he had during his spell in the North East:

"I saw a little bit of him last year but I know that when I do the radio, a lot of people ring in about him and they always say that the potential is there for him to be a good player. 

"But unfortunately for one reason or another, and there's been injuries again this season, he just hasn't really fulfilled that potential."

The likes of Grant Leadbitter, Chris Maguire and Josh Scowen were also named on the list of players that are set to be released, with Johnson looking to overhaul a lot of the players that were signed before he took over at the club.