Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has made it clear that the players cannot afford to focus on the return of Darren Bent this weekend.
The Aston Villa striker is due back at the Stadium of Light for the first time since departing the club for Villa in January and is expected to cop some stick from Black Cats fans but Mignolet insists he is not the players problem as they have the likes of Connor Wickham and Nicklas Bendtner up front.
"Supporters will be talking about Benty this week, but I don't think we can be focused on that. We have to focus on what we can do," Mignolet told the Newcastle Chronicle.
"Connor is a very strong lad, who works hard in training. He is always in the gym. It has been a tough start to the season for him, but he showed at Bolton he has a lot of potential.
"Nicklas Bendtner is a huge help for us, both with winning the high balls and scoring a few goals for us. Hopefully, that will continue.
"You get confidence when you start games and you help teams to win."
