Noah Sadiki says moving to Sunderland has helped him take step forward in his career.
The DR Congo international ended his two-year spell with Royale Union Saint-Gilloise to join Sunderland in July.
He’s started 16 Premier League matches for the Black Cats. The 21-year-old wasn’t in the squad to face Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend as he joined DR Congo camp for the ongoing AFCON.
On Tuesday, the Sunderland star played the full 90 minutes in DR Congo’s 1-0 win over Benin. After the tie, he spoke to the reporters and Ouest-France have relayed his comments.
The defensive midfielder wants to use his Premier League experience with Sunderland to help his national teammates.
“I’m trying to grow. Making the leap to the Premier League helps me do that as a player, but also as a person. I try to pass on what I’ve learned to my teammates,” he said.
Sadiki was born in Belgium and represented their youth teams before committing to DR Congo in 2024. He remains hopeful of inspiring other youngsters to follow in his footsteps.
The Sunderland player is also aware that he’ll subjected to criticism when there’s a drop in his performances. However, he has ruled out the idea of taking ‘any potential pressure on his shoulders’.
“That’s what people say. If I have a bad game, they’ll criticise me. There’s no pressure to feel. It’s still football. Above all, you have to enjoy yourself,” Sadiki explained.
His good start at Sunderland has seen him attract interest from Manchester United and Chelsea.
