Sunderland boss Roy Keane admits he is considering Dean Whitehead's captaincy.
"He can't be captain of the team on the bench. I pick over what I've seen over the last two or three weeks and we've lifted the standard," Keane said in The Daily Express.
"Now I look on the bench and I see Dean sitting there along with Carlos Edwards, Michael Chopra and Anthony Stokes. That's a good sign of the progress we've made as a club.
"Deano contributed when he came on and don't be surprised if Deano starts Saturday."