Source: SKY_Sports
Cats will miss Cattermole
Steve Bruce admits the loss of Lee Cattermole through injury has come as a major blow to Sunderland.
The combative midfielder is set to be out of action until well into the New Year after damaging knee ligaments.
The England U21 international was forced off during last Saturday's 1-0 victory over Liverpool, with it immediately apparent that he had suffered serious damage.
Cattermole has been an integral part of the Black Cats' success this season, helping the club to make a bright start to the 2009/10 campaign.
His absence will undoubtedly be felt, with Bruce admitting the former Wigan man is as important to him as the likes of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres are to Liverpool.
"We have seen a big club like Liverpool be without Gerrard and Torres and that's all the talk," he told Sky Sports News, alluding to the fact that the Reds duo are facing a race against time to prove their fitness ahead of a crunch clash with Manchester United this weekend.
"The equivalent for us is Cattermole, after the way he's started. He is going to be big, big loss for us, that's for sure.
Excellent"I thought he was excellent when he was on the pitch last week, he epitomises what we're trying to do and what we're trying to achieve.
"He has done exactly what I wanted him to do when we brought him to the club, so we hope we can get over the loss of him. Only time will tell, over the next 10 or 12 weeks, until we get Catts back."
Bruce is currently preparing to face his former employers Birmingham on Saturday, with the trip to St Andrews set to represent the first time he has returned to the Blues since his controversial exit in 2007.
He admits the fall-out from his time in the Midlands continues to rumble on, but he insists that he never intended for the situation to turn sour.
"The way it ended was the biggest regret for me, and that won't change," he added.
"I think after being there for a big chunk of my career, six years as a manager and two as a player, I had a lot of good times there and it will be great to see some of the people there.
"There are a lot of people still there who want the football club to do well and in that respect I hope Birmingham do very well. But that will not mask the unfortunate way it ended, I thought I deserved a bit better than that.
"But it's water under the bridge and it's gone now. There is a new regime in place, it's taken a long time to get there, but I hope for the sake of Alex (McLeish) and the club that there are better times ahead."
