Sunderland defender Wes Brown insists homesick Craig Gardner is staying.

Gardner scored in victory over Swansea City and Brown laughed off the notion that he would be allowed to leave.

"He is not going anywhere," said the former Manchester United defender who returned to lead Sunderland's stubborn resistance to Swansea's dominance. "Nowhere.

"Craig is alright. Don't get me wrong, every player wants to start and he probably has not started as many as he wanted. But he will be fine.

"Honestly all the lads love him in the dressing room. He is a great player. This is not a lie, he scored goals like that all the time in training. That is the sort of player he is. He has great technique and a great shot on him, with both feet. He got a great one at Wigan too and is always pinging them in in training."