SUNDERLAND boss Steve Bruce has revealed key midfielder Lee Cattermole will be out of action for at least 12 weeks.

However, that has come as a huge relief to Bruce, whose initial fear was the players season could have been ended by the medial ligament damage he suffered during Saturday's 1-0 win over Liverpool.

Bruce said: "We think it will be at least 12 weeks for Catts.

"He's done his medial ligament. It's not good news, but it's the best we could have hoped.

"We were all praying he had not done his cruciate and damaged cartilage, which thankfully he hasn't - but he's still out for the best part of three months."

Cattermole has made a huge impact on Wearside since his £6m summer switch from Wigan.

Bruce was swift to lure him back to the North-East - he started his career at neighbouring Middlesbrough - a year after investing £3.5m to take him to Wigan, where he was manager at the time.

Cattermole's central midfield partnership with new skipper Lorik Cana has been a major feature of the club's excellent start to the Barclays Premier League campaign.

The 21-year-old Stockton-born enforcer has just shaken off a troublesome heel injury which had hampered him for several weeks and kept him out of the England Under-21s squad for their most recent fixture earlier this month.

Bruce said: "You feel for the boy because he's had a great start here and has epitomised what we are about and why we brought him here.

"He's done everything we knew he would."

However, striker Kenwyne Jones, who like Cattermole was stretchered from the field at Saturday, has a chance of recovering from his ankle injury in time for Saturday's trip to Birmingham.

Bruce said: "We don't think Kenwyne is too bad. He has swelling on his ankle and will be touch and go for the weekend, but he could be okay."