Anton Ferdinand and Phil Bardsley may have futures at Sunderland after all. At the end of last season Steve Bruce made it clear he was open to offers for both defenders but the manager is now having second thoughts.

Bruce said: "If you have asked me who has caught my eye most and been most impressive since coming back for pre-season I would say Anton Ferdinand and Phil Bardsley."

Ferdinand is admired by Tottenham but his ability to play across the backline could yet lead to his stay on Wearside being extended.

Sunderland, though, will almost certainly have to cope without their Scotland goalkeeper, Craig Gordon, for the first three months of the season after he broke his left arm in training. Gordon, who has undergone minor surgery, was sidelined for two and a half months after fracturing the same limb against Tottenham last November.

His latest injury has left Bruce with a dilemma. It had been thought Sunderland's reserve keeper Marton Fulop – who spent the end of last season on loan at Manchester City – would move on this summer. The manager must now decide whether to keep the unsettled Hungary international a little longer, or sign an experienced keeper on loan or a short-term contract.

There is also the possibility Bruce could gamble on one of his two promising young keepers, the newly signed Belgian Simon Mignolet or Trevor Carson.