Sunderland star Jack Clarke has insisted there is more to come from him after he emerged as one of the leading lights during two contrasting seasons at the Stadium of Light.
The former Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur winger was in stunning form during the Black Cats return to the Championship as he scored 11 goals and provided 14 assists in 50 appearances as Tony Mowbray’s side reached the play-off semi-finals during the 2022/23 campaign.
The winds of change swept through Wearside last season as Mowbray departed midway through the season and his replacement Michael Beale’s reign lasted just 12 games, leaving interim boss Michael Dodds to see out what was an underwhelming campaign for the club.
Despite the difficulties suffered by his side, Clarke was one of the few positives as he provided 19 goal contributions in 42 appearances – and the Black Cats star has admitted he will be aiming to ‘bring a lot more’ when the new season gets underway with a with a visit to Cardiff City next month.
He told ChronicleLive: “Thankfully for me, I’d say the break came at a good enough time to give my injury a rest and give a chance to heal. Like everybody else, I’m still trying to get up to match fitness and match speed and dust off the cobwebs almost.
“Hopefully by the time the season starts I’ll be at my best. In a sense, I feel like I still could have brought a lot more (last season) and I’ll try to bring a lot more as the season unfolds but there were still a lot of chances I missed and a lot more I felt I could have done and hopefully I’ll bring that out this season.”
Clarke’s performances in a red-and-white shirt over the last two years have not gone unnoticed and there has been ongoing speculation linking the 23-year-old with a move away from Wearside. West Ham United and Southampton have both been credited with an interest and Serie A club Lazio were also said to be keen to hand the winger an opportunity to shine at a higher level.
Despite talk over his future continuing to dominate the headlines, Clarke has insisted he is solely focused on trying to improve and helping his side move on from a difficult season.
He said: “I am coming in every single day, I’m wearing Sunderland colours every single day so as long as I am doing that, playing for Sunderland, you don’t really need to think about too much else.
“If things are going to happen, then they’re going to happen when they happen, but I’m not focused on anything else other than the present and in the present I am playing for Sunderland. I would like to think I can keep on improving and as a team we can keep on improving. But they might just be words and we might not improve and I might not improve but you’d like to think so and that’s what I’m striving to do.”
Clarke will be viewed as a key part of the Black Cats plans under new manager Regis Le Bris after he was named as permanent successor to Beale last month. The former Lorient head coach got his reign under way with a 5-0 win at Northern Premier League neighbours South Shields last weekend before suffering a 2-1 defeat at National League club Gateshead just hours later.
Clarke netted a penalty in Friday’s 1-1 draw with Premier League side Nottingham Forest as Sunderland continued their preparations in Spain and they will take on local side Eldense on Sunday night.