Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn insists their pursuit of international signings won't mean neglecting the club's academy.

Quinn is passionate about the need to produce home-grown talent and Bruce has confirmed that Wearside's emerging talents will be part of his core squad next season.

Quinn told the Sunderland Echo: "When I first got involved in the club, the youth side of things was an area that had become neglected and not resourced as it should have been. The club had prioritised other area at the time as the first team struggled.

"But we saw things like Middlesbrough picking up some of the best young players from our area and we've been determined to change that.

"We've supported the youth academy strongly, where the likes of Ged McNamee and Kevin Ball have done an absolutely fantastic job and now we're seeing the dividends of that.

"It's an incredibly important area for our club and ultimately our aim is to have a steady stream of players coming through to push for first-team places - just like Jordan Henderson and David Meyler did this season."