Sunderland boss Martin O'Neill has told on-loan Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner he can still make it on Wearside.

Bendtner repaid the Ulsterman's faith after his arrest last week for an alleged car-wrecking spree with a goal in the vital 3-2 win away to QPR on Wednesday.

O'Neill insisted: "He is a fine player in the making. I do accept that even though he is 23 you could probably still talk about him having potential.

"But there is a cause there at Sunderland and it's up to Nicklas to want to be in that cause and I think he is.

"He has committed himself and I thought his performance against QPR was excellent.

"He can be a real proper player."