Sunderland youngster Henderson earning the plaudits

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has praised the progress of teenage midfielder Jordan Henderson.

The 19-year-old has been filling the boots of injured midfield dynamo Lee Cattermole in recent weeks after he was ruled out for three months with a damaged medial ligament.

Henderson excelled in the 1-0 win over Arsenal at the weekend.

Bruce believes the job the Sunderland-born teenager did against the quality of Cesc Fabregas shows the potential he possesses, as Arsenal failed to score for the first time this season.

"We played him against Fabregas so that shows the faith I have got in the kid," Bruce said.

"We know Fabregas seems to be able to run effortlessly, I think he is the top midfield player in the Premier League.

"We asked Jordan to stay with him and he did it manfully."

Henderson is a product of the club's youth academy and, after impressing during pre-season, has been involved in all but one of the club's 16 games to date.