Sunderland No2 Eric Black heaped praise on defensive pair John Mensah and Anton Ferdinand after victory over West Ham United.
The duo helped their side keep a clean sheet against West Ham on Sunday as Steve Bruce's men secured a 1-0 victory on Wearside.
"Obviously the manager has spoken about the loss of Michael and Titus, but I thought Anton and John did very well after conceding three goals at Wolves," Black told safc.com.
"John's been unfortunate; just look at his recent injury. That came out of his commitment to defending a ball forward and he's ended up hurting his shoulder.
"But we saw the other night just what a good defender he is, and if we can keep him fit he is more than capable of playing week in, week out in the Premier League.
"The two of them looked like a good partnership on Sunday."
