The Sunderland striker Duncan Watmore has become the first Championship footballer to sign up to Juan Mata’s Common Goal charity, pledging one per cent of his salary to good causes over the course of his career.

Watmore, 23, has recently returned from a cruciate ligament rupture and joins Charlie Daniels of Bournemouth and Swansea City’s Alfie Mawson in making the commitment, which also includes some big names from the men’s and women’s game around the world. Mats Hummels and Giorgio Chiellini are both part of the Common Goal programme, as are Shinji Kagawa, Serge Gnabry and the United States women’s international Alex Morgan.

The project supports charities across the world with the participating players and coaches – Hoffenheim’s Julian Nagelsmann has also signed up – having some input into where the money is spent. Common Goal was created by streetfootballworld which has worked with 120 local charities across the world using football.

Watmore, who graduated in 2016 from Newcastle University with a first class degree in economics and business management, said that it was the opportunity to support young people through helping them gain an education which appealed to him.

“I have always donated to charities but this is a way of formalising it. Common Goal have done it through football charities but it is not just football, it has a wider influence and it covers a lot of areas. For me the main area I want to go down is to link in with my education, I was lucky enough to get my degree.”

Watmore has made five appearances since his return to first team action with Sunderland after a long absence during which he missed his club’s doomed fight against relegation and then the European championships with England Under-21s last summer. He was injured playing against Leicester City in December last year.