John Barnes sharing a light moment with the boys.

Former England and Liverpool legend, John Barnes, visited Sunderland’s Academy of Light on Wednesday afternoon to see how the eight Digicel Kick Start Clinics footballers that he selected to spend one week training at Sunderland were getting on.

Barnes - who manages the English Division One League side, Tranmere Rovers – met up with the footballers after their morning training session to see what progress they were making at the Academy.

John Barnes said: “While I didn’t get a chance to see the boys training, I’ve spoken to the Academy’s coach, Carlton Fairweather, who said that they have adapted well to the conditions and have settled into the training regime with ease. Overall, Sunderland is impressed with the quality of the players and they seem interested in two or three of them.

Barnes shows his full support for the English FA 2018 FIFA World Cup bid along with the Digicel Kick Start Clinic footballers

“I’m delighted with this update as I know that we have some very talented footballers here and it’s great to see that they have represented themselves well on and off the field.”

Elaborating on the subject of discipline, Barnes said it is important to send a good message to the European clubs that Caribbean footballers have got the discipline and desire to work hard and give 100% at all times. “The boys have come a long way from when I saw them in the Caribbean and they have been making the most of the experience and working very hard during their training sessions. Having the opportunity to go to a Carling Cup match and tour the Stadium of Light should also be a great motivator for them to work hard and follow their dreams of one day becoming professional footballers.”

The week-long training camp at Sunderland’s Academy of Light draws to an end on Sunday, when the boys will attend a match between Sunderland and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Stadium of Light.