Wes Brown has backed Jermain Defoe to score the goals that will keep Sunderland in the Premier League this season.

The Black Cats secured the services of the former England international last week from MLS side Toronto in a deal that saw Jozy Altidore move in the opposite direction.

With Sunderland having scored just 19 goals in 22 outings this term, centre-back Brown believes that Defoe could prove to be the difference between survival and relegation.

"Jermain's always a threat. He's always looking to get a shot off, and his goal record speaks for itself," the Sunderland Journal quotes Brown as saying.

"We just need to get him in the positions so he can get up and running. He's been in the Premier League for many years. He knows how to score goals, knows the spaces to pick up and I'm sure he's going to do that between now and the end of the season."

Defoe, 32, scored 124 Premier League goals during his stints with West Ham United, Portsmouth and Tottenham Hotspur.