The 19-year-old midfielder scored his first senior goal for the club in Tuesday night's Carling Cup third-round victory over Birmingham to underline the faith his manager has placed in him.

Few graduates from the Academy of Light have established themselves as first-team regulars in recent years amid a spending spree which is fast approaching £120million.

But Bruce knows that level of investment is unsustainable indefinitely, and is keeping a close eye on his home-grown talent.

He said: "We have got to. We can't just say it's a one-way thing and we can expect the owner to just keep pumping millions in.

"It's very, very good for every football club, not just financially, for a young player to come through to ease the way forward for them all.

"I have got the highest regard too for [Martyn] Waghorn and [Jack] Colback, who are doing okay as well, and that bodes well for the club."

Waghorn and Colback are currently out on loan at Leicester and Ipswich respectively, but Henderson will hope to keep his place in Bruce's starting line-up for tomorrow's Barclays Premier League clash with Wolves.

The manager has been hugely impressed with a player who came to his attention within days of his arrival at the Stadium of Light during the summer.

Bruce said: "The reason I let [Grant] Leadbitter go and [Dean] Whitehead go was to make room for the kid.

"I have been impressed - I asked after three days, 'Who is this?'.

"In the summer when I got the job, I must have had 10 Championship clubs trying to take him on loan, so I was always looking forward to seeing him play. I wasn't disappointed at all when I saw him.

"I have just seen a stat there - the other night, he ran near enough 13km, which is just quite staggering. There are not many people, believe me, who can cover that sort of distance.

"It's quite incredible to be up around there. It just shows his energy and his power - and he can only get better.

"He is only a boy, but he is certainly the modern-day footballer."

Henderson's chances of starting the game could depend largely on Lee Cattermole, who returned to training yesterday after a heel injury and is back in contention.

Full-back George McCartney could also figure after recovering from his hamstring problem, while keeper Marton Fulop is closing in on full fitness following his own heel injury.