The striker was involved in an acrimonious £18million move between the clubs in January after submitting a transfer request that shocked Bruce and the supporters.

"It's football so I think he'll be expecting it," said Bruce, who was also keen to highlight what Bent achieved in his 18 months at Sunderland, scoring 36 goals in 63 appearances.

"I think we have to acknowledge what Darren Bent did here, too. He was terrific here for 18 months, there's no disputing that, and, in my opinion, could have been one of the greats if he'd stuck around. He didn't, it's football, and sometimes it happens.

"All our disappointment was that it ended so quickly. But the great thing about football is we move on."

Sunderland were hit hard by Bent's departure and struggled for some time before recovering to finish 10th in the Barclays Premier League last season.

Bruce has found himself under pressure after a shaky start to this campaign, heightened by the success of neighbours Newcastle, so a 2-0 victory at Bolton last weekend came at just the right time.

On the scoresheet at the Reebok Stadium were Stephane Sessegnon and on-loan Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner, while 18-year-old Connor Wickham, an £8million recruit from Ipswich, made his first Premier League start.

Bruce also signed 20-year-old Ji Dong-won in the summer, but he knows it will take time for either player to come close to emulating Bent.

He said: "It is very difficult to replace those goals. That's why Villa paid the money they did and that's why he's playing for England now.

"He is an out-and-out goalscorer, his goalscoring record here was fabulous, but we move on and we've invested now in Connor and Ji, and we've got Nicklas Bendtner on loan. We've brought in some good players here.

"In Ji and Connor in particular we've gone for the future. They're both learning their trade and we knew it would take them time to adjust but Connor last week was far better than when he made his debut a couple of months ago."

Last week's victory lifted Sunderland up to 14th in the table, three places and two points behind Villa, and Bruce is confident better days lie ahead.

He added: "Considering the disaster area we're supposed to be, if we win, with a quarter of the season gone we'll be where we want to be, which is in the top 10.

"It's very difficult to go back-to-back in the Premier League but we've got an opportunity. I believe the squad's as good as it's ever been. We just need that time and a couple of results to quieten the storm.

"We've got Manchester United round the corner but then we've got a group of fixtures, no disrespect to the Wigans, Blackburns, Fulhams and Wolves, that are far easier, if that's the right word, than the Liverpools, Manchester Citys, Chelseas and Arsenals. It's a big period of the season for us."

With no fresh injury worries this week, Bruce could name the same side that defeated Bolton.

Defender Titus Bramble remains suspended pending the outcome of police and club investigations, while Craig Gordon and Fraizer Campbell (both knee) continue to work their way back to fitness.