Former Sheffield United defender Matthew Kilgallon is delighted with his move to Sunderland.

The Black Cats' latest signing was in a restaurant when he was informed of Steve Bruce's interest - and he was soon on his way to Wearside for talks.

The 26-year-old joins from Sheffield United for an undisclosed fee and, speaking to SAFC TV, he admitted the whole move is still a blur.

"I'm really pleased. I wasn't sure what was going on, it happened really fast," said Kilgallon, who has signed on at the Stadium of Light until summer 2013.

"I came here and met the gaffer, saw the facilities and thought 'this is for me'.

"I was out having something to eat when I got a phone call saying Sunderland were interested.

"I almost choked on my pasta! I thought, 'yes, let's see what they have to say' and now I'm here."

Kilgallon added: "Sheffield United are a great club and I had some great times there, but I'm ready to go on to the next level now and hopefully I can do that here.

"The gaffer was a centre-half and he wasn't bad, was he? That was a big thing for me - hopefully he can make me into a better player. I want to learn.

"The fan base and the facilities are excellent here too. It was quite an easy decision in the end.

"Sunderland have some really good players here already; it'll be interesting to train with them and hopefully it will improve me too. I'm looking forward to it."