Ace Baldwin can get even better – Ross

Jack Baldwin has made a superb start to his Sunderland career but Jack Ross believes there is even more to come.

Baldwin signed for around £200,000 from Peterborough United earlier in the summer, but had to wait for his debut with Ross admitting he needed time to adapt.

Since then, however, he has been Sunderland’s most consistent defender – and Ross believes he is the perfect example of what the club is trying to achieve in the coming years.

“I left him out of the first game because he’d taken time to adapt,” Ross said. “He’s probably a really good reflection of what we’re trying to do at the club in terms of the types we’re trying to bring in because I think he’s a good player who can get better.

“At his age I think he can still grow and improve and reach a level beyond the level he’s playing at just now.

“He can physically get stronger but his willingness and his desire to want to do well here and learn and get better, how humble he is about it and how much he appreciates the opportunity of playing in this stadium, how he works every day on the training ground is refreshing.

“There’s not just him, there’s a lot like that now. He’s probably the one that’s symbolic of that because of how he performs on the pitch.

Baldwin himself feels he is finding his feet on Wearside.

“I remember when I first came into the club, my first week was a bit of an adaptation week for me because I was getting used to my new surroundings, the new faces and a new style of play.

“Coming to Sunderland, there’s a step up in quality as well as a step up in sharpness, so my first week was a massive adaptation one.

“In my second week I kind of felt like I was finding my feet a little bit more and it was a good week’s training.

“I am looking to improve all the time and hopefully I can get stronger as times goes by.”