Wes Brown admits the Manchester United influence at Sunderland convinced him about moving to Wearside.
Old Trafford team-mate John O'Shea followed Brown to the Stadium of Light, and the move reunited them with a trio of other ex-Man U men in the shape of Kieran Richardson, Phil Bardsley and Fraizer Campbell.
"There was serious interest from Stoke but after I spoke to Steve Bruce, I was always going to come here," Brown said. "The manager was a big factor.
"Steve Bruce was one of my boyhood heroes, along with Pally (Gary Pallister, Bruce's central defensive partner at Man U).
"I used to watch them from when I was about 12 years old onwards.
"Also, I knew a few of the other lads who were here already and I also spoke to Sheasy (O'Shea) to see what he was doing.
"We saw some of the other signings that were coming in, and I think we both decided that we wanted to be a part of it up here."
