Cats just getting started – on and off the pitch – tour diary

You don't need to spend too long around the Sunderland camp to see that the new arrivals have settled in quickly.

- Phil Smith

Noah Sadiki is as lively off the pitch as he is on it. My feeling is that he is a new fan favourite in the making.

Sadiki was arguably the best performer as Sunderland held an open training session in the sweltering heat on Sunday.

For what it's worth, we did get some excellent footage of a two-touch passing drill, but it was rendered unusable when Trai Hume, as committed as ever to his defensive work, took a fearsome blow to a very sensitive area when closing down goalkeeper Matty Young. His teammates did their best to keep a straight face.

The session ended with a volleying game and there were some impressive efforts, the best by a distance coming from young central defender Zak Johnson. His Zidane-esque effort had his teammates roaring in delight.