Sunderland winger Adam Johnson has admitted that he was "fine" with head coach Gus Poyet's decision to drop him against Hull City earlier this month.
The former Manchester City player was placed on the bench for the first time since moving to the Stadium of Light last summer.
Despite not starting the Black Cats' 1-0 defeat at the KC Stadium, Johnson has claimed that he had no issues with being taken out of the XI.
"I spoke to the manager and I was fine with it," Johnson told the Sunderland Echo. "I understood. You've got to respect his decision and I was totally fine with that.
"Maybe it was a kick up the backside, but I didn't really feel like I needed it. It was the manager's decision and I'm back in the team now."
Sunderland sit second from bottom in the Premier League table after 11 games.
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