Former Sunderland goalkeeper Michael Woud has revealed he felt as if there was no clear pathway for young players to succeed at the Stadium of Light.
The New Zealand international joined Sunderland as a teenager back in 2015 and spent three seasons playing for the club's under-18 and under-23 sides - via brief loan spell at Sunderland RCA - before joining Dutch side Willem II in 2018.
Woud was highly rated when he first joined the club and impressed in both the 2015 under-17 World Cup and 2017 under-20 World Cup for New Zealand.
And he admits he was blown away by Sunderland's facilities after joining the club from New Zealand side Bay Olympic.
"It was a massive change for me in my life," Woud told Chronicle Live.
"I was just 16 when I came over by myself and my family stayed in New Zealand.
"I stayed with a family in digs which was a new experience for me. On the field I got better but also off the field I was learning a lot and learning how to deal with certain situations which helped me a lot off the pitch.
"Their facilities were the best I had ever seen. It was a shock coming from New Zealand to see how good they were and at the time they were in the Premier League and it was among the best of the best in the world.
"It was a really big club to come to and some way to start my career and learn a lot from.
"It didn't work out for some reasons but I had a good time there and now it has helped me get to where I am now."
Despite his promise, a pathway to the Sunderland first team never seemed forthcoming and he opted to make the move to the Eredivisie for an undisclosed fee in 2018.
Woud was part of the Sunderland under-23 squad that reached the final of the Premier League International Cup in 2017. That squad also included the likes of Tommy Robson and Rees Greenwood - who had made their first team debuts under Sam Allardyce a year previously - before their gateway into the first team closed.
And Woud felt as if there was never a plan for him to progress at Sunderland and bemoaned the lack of a pathway for the club's young talent to break into the first team setup.
"I learned a lot. There was some coaches in the club who hold back players and I think that I wasn't given the same opportunities as I could say where I am now in Holland.
"I see a lot of players at Sunderland, and players there now that I know that had played for England at youth level to not playing anymore.
"For me, I couldn't wait around for an opportunity to come that I didn't think was going to come.
"Max [Stryjek] is now playing in the National League but he left quite old and I didn't want to do that.
"I chose to leave and I wanted to come to a place where I had an opportunity and they had a plan for me.
"The thing for me at Sunderland was there wasn't any plan. I can understand but there was no plan for me.
"If a keeper left the club they would always go out and buy a new keeper. I reached a point where I needed to be around first team players and play in front of crowds.
"For me, I didn't feel that was possible at Sunderland."
Nonetheless, Woud still insists he is grateful for the groundwork Sunderland put in place for his career now he is playing in the Eredivisie at Willem II.
The 21-year-old has largely played second fiddle to former Germany under-21 international goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther but has made five senior appearances for the Tilburg outfit.
After the suspension of the Eredivisie season, Willem II have qualified for next season's Europa League by virtue of being in fifth place before the league's suspension.
It means Woud is likely to have more first-team opportunities next season and he is excited about his future in the Netherlands.
"There are some good coaches [at Sunderland] but also coaches I feel like have been there too long but overall it was a great place to start my career," he continued.
"Some players in the under-23s are never going to get an opportunity. They keep signing and signing and before you know it they are 23/24.
"I wanted to go to a club where you are going to play and maybe it is a smaller club but you are going to get the opportunity to show yourself.
"The club had a lot of interest in me and they told me their plan for me.
"A lot of young players play in the league and maybe the Eredivisie isn't the biggest league but you are still playing PSV and Ajax who are really big clubs.
"It was the attraction of how much they wanted me and they had a plan for me.
"At Sunderland I found at 21/22 you were still sat in a changing room with 17-year-olds. I didn't want to do that.
"Willem is the best place for me now.
"Next season it is about being the number one here and getting more games.
"At 21, I would be the youngest goalkeeper in the league. After that it is about seeing what happens."
