Sunderland announced on Monday that their tough-tackling captain, Lee Cattermole, has signed a new contract that ties him to the club until 2016.
The 24-year-old English midfielder joined the north-east club from Wigan in 2009, having started his career at Middlesbrough.
He was named captain at the start of the 2011-11 season, despite an appalling disciplinary record that has seen him sent off seven times in his career, and five times since moving to Sunderland.
“I’m absolutely delighted,” said Cattermole.
“It feels like it’s taken a bit of time but the gaffer (Martin O’Neill) made it clear to me at the end of the season that he wanted to keep me at the club, so I’m glad it’s been sorted in the end.
“If you look at our signings in the summer, I think you can see that we have made some big signings and I think it’s the best place for me at the minute.”
