Sunderland boss Roy Keane has told the club’s owners he needs greater squad depth if The Black Cats are to establish themselves as a Premier League force.

Keane bemoans the amount of injuries he has had this season, claiming it is not just down to bad luck.

The Sunderland manager praised his players for putting their bodies on the line for the club, even when they were carrying an injury.

Keane insists a bigger squad would have helped avoid fitness problems for the likes of Kieran Richardson and Danny Higginbotham, admitting he was fully aware they could do themselves further damage when he picked them.

“That is why in an ideal world, you want a bigger, stronger squad,” Keane explained.

“I am always looking at the bigger teams and what they tend to do, and if there is any doubt about any of their players, then they just won’t play them.

“But beggars cannot be choosers. We have not been in that position. We have had to ask the lads to push their bodies.

“The danger when you ask any player - I have done it many times - ‘Are you fit?’, is any decent footballer will, say, ‘Yes, I am fit’, especially with the situation we are in.

“Kieran had trained well all week - but training, let me tell you, to going into a Premier League game is chalk and cheese. It is completely different.

“That’s what we have been maybe a little bit guilty of - maybe with Kieran, not with other players - and we are paying the price a little bit now.

“We had to play Danny Higginbotham with his injury for three or four weeks because we had nobody else, and Danny now is out for a few weeks because his toe got a lot worse.”