And when he looks ahead to his debut campaign in the top flight, one fixture stands out more than any other for the Northern Ireland international – the derbies against Newcastle.
Hume is now set for a well-earned breather after playing every minute of Northern Ireland’s two friendlies in the last week, and by the time the 23-year-old next meets up with his international teammates in September he’ll be a Premier League player.
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“I’m really excited by it all,” said Hume, who started 43 of Sunderland’s 46 Championship games last season and played every minute in the successful play-off campaign.
“I’m probably not looking forward to pre-season as much because it’s going to be that wee bit tougher but that’s part and parcel of it.
“I’ll have to work harder than I have before because I’m stepping up a level and playing in the best league in the world.
“It will be tough but I’m excited. It is a challenge I know me and my team-mates at Sunderland are looking forward to and hopefully we can get going.”
With Sunderland back in the top flight for the first time since 2017, the derby games against Newcastle will be an obvious highlight for players and supporters. But Hume will also get the chance to take on the side he grew up supporting next season.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say the derby,” said Hume, when asked which game he’s most relishing.
“For me, I was a Chelsea fan (growing up) so I’m looking forward to playing them twice, but obviously the main game is the derby.”
Hume captained Northern Ireland in their home win over Iceland on Tuesday, which the full-back believes will help to build belief ahead of the crucial World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg and Germany in September.
He told the Belfast Telegraph: “They are the games that matter.
“We are starting the campaign off with two away games so it is going to be tough. We want to have a good start and hopefully get a win in the first game.”
