Nosworthy is a regular fixture of the Sunderland side

Sunderland defender Nyron Nosworthy is confident he will remain in manager Roy Keane's plans despite the arrival of Anton Ferdinand at the club.

Nosworthy has been a regular at centre-back but believes competition for his position will be beneficial for himself and the team overall.

"It's fresh competition and it's what we want for the club to push forward," he told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"Bringing in quality adds to the team and adds a different perspective."

England under-21 international Ferdinand joined the Wearsiders from West Ham United for a fee of �8m at the end of August.

Meanwhile Sunderland go into the international break on the back of a stinging 3-0 home defeat to Manchester City.

And Nosworthy admitted he and his team-mates are itching to make amends for everyone at the club.

"There's too much time to reflect. If you're going to be a Premier League footballer you've got to take criticism and take heed of what's happened and try to correct it," he said.

"The only way we're going to do that is on the training ground and correct it in our next game."