Sunderland boss Roy Keane is confident crocked captain Dean Whitehead will return from his knee injury better than before.

He said: "Losing Dean is a massive, massive loss for us and he is gutted with what has happened.

"I will sit down and speak to him properly again but I think he could be better off taking a break.

"I have suffered from a snapped cruciate in my career too and at Manchester United I was always encouraged to take time out for a while.

"It makes you a better player.

"You look at things differently and think about the way you play your game and what you can do better.

"I know Deano is not a great watcher and once he has a couple of weeks off he can come back better for it.

"He can recharge his batteries and this can be mentally very good for him."