STEVE Bruce has insisted Lee Cattermole will not be leaving Sunderland this summer – as he scotched claims he has stripped his midfield talisman of the Black Cats captaincy.

With reports back home claiming summer signing John O’Shea will lead the side next season, Bruce pointedly handed the armband to Cattermole before yesterday’s hard-fought draw with German third tier side Arminia Bielefeld.

It was a sign of faith in the player he signed for £6million two summers ago, especially as O’Shea was included in a Sunderland side for the first time since his switch from Manchester United.

Afterwards, Bruce insisted a link between long-term admirers Liverpool and the player who has become a key member of his Black Cats side was no more than “mischief making.”

Speaking in Germany, the Sunderland boss also declared his interest in Charles N’Zogbia to be dead after the deal became “too rich” for the Black Cats.

The only outstanding transfer issues are imminent moves for forgotten defenders George McCartney, Matt Kilgallon and Nyron Nosworthy – all of whom are attracting Championship clubs.

Cattermole, Bruce said, will be not be joining them out of the exit door.

“I don’t know where that has come from. It’s news to me,” he told The Journal after the first game of Sunderland’s pre-season stay in Germany.

“One of the newspapers ran a flier but I have not even thought about this situation to be honest. I have had bigger things on my plate to worry about.

“We have been dealing with Liverpool for the past five weeks over the Jordan Henderson deal and there was never a mention that they wanted Lee. I don’t know where it’s coming from at all.

“I is all tittle tattle and – to be brutally honest – I think it is mischief- making as well.”

Bruce was content with his team after they fought back from a goal behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Arminia Bielefeld.

Stephane Sessegnon cancelled out Eric Agyemang’s controversial opener in a game which was hard work for a team being put through its paces at their Hannover training HQ.

There were decent displays from four of the five debutants on show while O’Shea’s early removal was not a cause for long-term concern.

Bruce said a slight hamstring twinge prompted him to be substituted as a “precaution”.

He added: “John is OK. He has a slight hamstring and I am not going to take any risks just yet.

“It was just a niggle, he went off as a precaution.

We expect him to be OK.”

“Overall, I was happy with it. There were a lot of tired bodies but that is to be expected.

Some of the players did 11 and a half kilometres over the course of the day which is not exactly ideal preparation for a game, but we will get the benefit of that work later.”

It appears as if most of the week in Lower Saxony will be spent dealing with his existing squad, with little prospect of new arrivals before the Black Cats return to England.

“It is quiet on the incoming front – I am more worried about one or two going out,” Bruce said.

“(N’Zogbia, pictured above) isnot going to happen. It has become a bit too rich for us.

“McCartney, Nosworth and Kilgallon are the three we are looking at moving out and there some things bubbling under the surface with them, but nothing concrete yet.

“As regards transfers, that is where we are now.”