SUNDERLAND chairman Bob Murray believes the club's new £8m training academy will be a major factor in building a team capable of winning the Premiership.

The club yesterday revealed North-East based company Tolent Construction had won the contract for the 60-week contract, and building will start in November.

The academy, which won planning approval despite its greenbelt location at Cleadon, will replaced the club's existing out-moded facilities at Whitburn.

Murray believes the academy will be almost as important to the club's future as the magnificent Stadium of Light.

He said: "The players and staff are doing amazingly well considering the disadvantage they face off the pitch due to their lack of training facilities when compared to other Premiership clubs.

"The academy will provide the very best facilities and will enable us to build what we all seek and that is a Championship winning team."

Sunderland's record signing, £4.5m centreback Emerson Thome, is hoping to be back in action for the club's next big home game against Manchester United on October 13 after recovering from a cartilage operation.

The 29-year-old Brazilian had surgery while serving a three-match suspension following his sending-off during the club's close-season tour of Holland.

Thome, who has missed the last five games, hopes to resume training this week and Mark Leather, the club's physio-therapist is delighted with his progress.

He said: "Emerson is a great athlete and a hard worker and his attitude to doing things properly since he had the operation has been first class.

"We haven't set any time limits but hopefully he will soon be able to do a bit of jogging and gradually step up the effort."

If Thome does come into contention for the next home game his recovery will have taken six weeks, a complete contrast to the days before keyhole surgery when players undergoing cartilage operations were normally out of action for six months.

* Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld has rejected a loan move to Spanish side Alaves.

The Primera Liga club, who were memorably beaten 5-4 by the Reds in last season's UEFA Cup final, had hoped to sign the Dutchman on a short-term deal.

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