Sunderland captain John O'Shea says an in-form Steven Fletcher is a game-changer for the club.
Fletcher's brace in victory at Crystal Palace saw Sunderland move out of the dropzone last night.
"We need to keep him [Fletcher] fit," O'Shea told talkSPORT. "He's a big player for us.
"Scoring goals in the Premier League is vital. He's going to be a big man for us and hopefully he can get into double figures.
"When it was reported Sunderland were interested in signing him a couple of seasons ago, people said, 'that's a lot of money' when some of the figures were discussed.
"I spoke to a few of the Wolves boys though and they said, 'don't worry, it'll be money well spent'.
"When you see him in training you can see what a fantastic player he is."
