Sunderland manager Steve Bruce believes he has the “nucleus of Sunderland’s best squad” as the Black Cats go into Saturday’s televised home fixture against Bolton Wanderers in seventh place in the EPL.

Bruce told the Northern Echo newspaper of his gratitude to the club for sticking by him during a 14-game winless run last season which ended with a 4-0 win over this weekend’s opponents.

Bruce said: “There will be times when you come up against it, like I did last season. But the owner backed me and Roy Keane before me and we have the nucleus, I would say, of Sunderland’s best squad.”

 

Bruce’s view were echoed by defender Nedum Onuoha, who is on-loan from Manchester City but said this week that he “would be happy to stay (at Sunderland) if Manchester City want to sell me.”

Onuoha could prove vital as Sunderland’s defensive injury woes continue. Centre-back Anton Ferdinand limped out of last Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Fulham after only ten minutes.

And scans this week confirmed that he will be out for up to a month with hamstring damage.

Bruce is already missing central defenders Titus Bramble and Michael Turner with long-term injuries. And Onuoha, a right-back, had to cover for Ferdinand in the central role at Craven Cottage.

Bruce said: “It seems to hit us all in the one position…our centre-halves are dropping like flies.”

Meanwhile, striker Darren Bent was last week named the 2010 North-East Sports Writers’ Player-of-the-Year. Bent is currently Sunderland’s top-scorer with 10.