Sunderland captain Lee Cattermole has insisted that his team are "sticking together" during their slump in the Premier League.

The Black Cats succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa at the weekend and Martin O'Neill's side currently sit four points from the relegation zone in the league table.

"As a team, we are absolutely devastated, but we are definitely sticking together," the Liverpool Echo quotes Cattermole as saying. "It's as good a dressing room as I have ever been in with the lads, and we are not going to start arguing."

Sunderland have only clinched one victory so far this season.