Jermain Defoe has urged his Sunderland teammates to stop using the manager marry-go-round as an excuse for poor performances.

David Moyes is Defoe's fourth Black Cats manager since joining the club in January 2015 but the veteran striker continues to perform no matter what the situation.

Sunderland currently sit bottom of the Premier League table with some members of the squad blaming their downturn in fortunes on the instability within the coaching ranks at the Stadium of Light.

But Defoe doesn't agree: "These things happen in football — it's just an excuse for players to say, 'There's been ups and downs, the manager has gone, a new one has come in, there's been so many managers'.

"So what? You go out there and perform.

"You're playing in the Premier League — it's something you've always wanted to do since you were a kid.

"So if you cannot motivate yourself and go out there and perform, in my opinion you shouldn't be playing the game."