Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has backed Middlesbrough's appointment of Gordon Strachan as new manager.

Strachan will take over at the Riverside, with the club fourth in the Championship and three points from the top spot.

Bruce, who played alongside Strachan at Old Trafford in 1987, knows only too well what his former team mate is capable of.

Bruce told safc.com: "I've no doubt he can do a good job. Anyone who has managed in Glasgow at a club like Celtic will be able to cope in the north east.

"I played with him at Manchester United. He was one of the first people I got to know when I moved from Norwich, although it was towards the end of his career but he was still a fantastic player and a great character to have in the dressing room."