David Unsworth says he will become a Sunderland fan this season after former under-23s captain Morgan Feeney joined the League One club.
Feeney, a Premier League 2 title-winning skipper with the Blues, was released by the club at the end of June.
The 21-year-old went on trial with Sunderland and, this week, earned a one-year deal at the Stadium of Light.
Unsworth, whose u-23s won 7-1 against Runcorn Town in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Saturday, is thrilled to see his former player find a new club.
"He phoned me [on Friday] night and we had a lovely conversation," Unsworth said.
"I’m thrilled, because I spoke to [Sunderland manager] Phil Parkinson a week or two ago and he asked me about him and I couldn’t have sung his praises any more. It was like I was his agent!
"I’m glad Phil has decided to take him because he’s not just a wonderful player, he’s a wonderful man. He’s been a wonderful player and skipper for me over the past couple of years.
"I’m sure, given the right opportunities, Morgan will do very well there. Sunderland are getting a top player, a top professional, and they’re getting a leader.
"It’s a wonderful club, wonderful history, great fanbase. A proper club. I’ll be a Sunderland fan this year!"
Nathan Broadhead struck five times in the 7-1 win at Finch Farm and Unsworth has revealed he set his players a challenge at half-time.
"It’s better than a training session because it gives people minutes.
"Some of the players have not played for months, so to play in a match is always better than a training session.
"I saw lots of good things. We need to get them back playing so we can instil the principles we are looking for for the start of the season.
"We were looking for Lewis Dobbin and Rhys Hughes to play in areas they maybe haven’t played in before, so it was good for them to get more experience in those principles we’re looking for.
"We spoke about it at half-time – getting into good habits and principles of doing the right thing. If it does get a little bit easy, to play with limited touches. I thought the attitude was first-class.
"Those young lads who are new to this level, like Lewis and Rhys, we want to give them as much game time as possible. That’s important and their performances were very, very good."
