Sunderland defender Bryan Oviedo has stressed that he is committed to the Black Cats’ cause as they seek to avoid back-to-back relegations from the Premier League to League One. The Black Cats are presently languishing in the drop zone after 28 games into the season, but Oviedo remains optimistic that the club will preserve their Championship status.
Speaking to Costa Rican outlet Nacion, Oviedo admitted that he is with the Black Cats in their relegation tussle, though he does not see himself dropping any further with the Wearside outfit, he said: “Sunderland is a big team from England, I have many years of not being in Championship and it is not an option to go to League One.
“We have to see how we correct the situation to see how we change the moment we are in. We have played well, but we have lacked consistency, I think we have a very good team, with good players, I do not plan to go down, playing in the third division would be very difficult for me.”
Oviedo had managed just around 50 appearances for Everton in five seasons before he made his switch to Sunderland alongside teammate Ben Gibson last winter. He has since managed 40 outings for the side in all competitions, though he missed a decent chunk of game time during the festive period with an injury.
The 27-year-old is due to participate for Costa Rica as this summer’s World Cup, and he will be hoping to make the most of the global tournament in order to push for a bigger challenge, where he may not have to contend with a relegation dogfight. Sunderland are presently behind Hull City on goal difference heading into the final week of January, and they will fancy their chances of escaping the drop with three of the teams above them separated by a difference of just two points.