Tim Sherwood: Jermain Defoe is key to Sunderland's Premier League survival

ASTON VILLA boss Tim Sherwood says Jermain Defoe should not have quit the Premier League last year - and believes he now holds the key to Sunderland's survival hopes.

00:10, Fri, Mar 13, 2015 | UPDATED: 06:43, Fri, Mar 13, 2015

Jermain Defoe GETTY

Tim Sherwood says Jermain Defoe will be the reason Sunderland survive the drop

The Black Cats moved to boost their survival chances by shelling out £14m to sign Defoe from Toronto FC in January.

Sherwood knows all about the threat the 32-year-old poses his Villa team in tomorrow's six-pointer at the Stadium of Light from their days together at Tottenham.

He was still Spurs boss when Defoe, who has two goals in seven league starts since joining Sunderland, announced in January last year he would quit White Hart Lane to move to Canada.

And he insists his Premier League exit was premature and says the Black Cats, who are a point ahead of 17th-placed Villa, will rely on his goals.

"I worked with Jermain a lot - he is still as dangerous as ever," said Sherwood. "He is a box player and you know he is going to be a threat. He can get a shot off either side, he is a goalscorer.

"If they are going to survive it is going to be Jermain Defoe that keeps them up. That is why they forked out that sort of money for him. He is still one of the most natural finishers around.

"He didn't have to leave the Premier League before, he went away for a lifestyle change to Canada and the MLS. But he still had the appetite to come back and play for Sunderland in a relegation battle."

Defoe certainly needs to continue scoring as Sunderland are finding goals hard to come by - they have scored just 23 in 28 League games.

Only Villa, with 15, have scored fewer, and Sunderland forward Connor Wickham said: "I wouldn't say the criticism of the strikers is unfair. Strikers are going to get the most at any club because they are the money-makers, they are the ones the fans are relying on to score the goals. That's where the criticism can come.

"Chances come and you do need to put them away. We are creating chances. We are setting up to attack at times when we get the ball. We do try to break as quickly as we can when we get the ball.

Poyet wary of overplaying Defoe [AMBIENT]

If they are going to survive it is going to be Jermain Defoe that keeps them up
Tim Sherwood

"We have done it in games but we have to get more consistent with it and get in to the box more. We will climb away from the rest of the group down there if we can start to put our chances away."

Villa are still sweating on the fitness of Christian Benteke ahead of the game, but Sherwood is refusing to panic.

Benteke is yet to recover fully from the hip problem which kept him out of last weekend's FA Cup quarter-final with West Brom.

The Belgium striker has been included in the party travelling to the North-east and will be given every chance to prove his fitness.

But Sherwood insists the way his team played in the second half against the Baggies - Fabian Delph and Scott Sinclair were both on target in the 2-0 win - proved they are not a one-man team.

Sinclair, Charles N'Zogbia and Gabby Agbonlahor all impressed in a front trio as Sherwood made a tactical switch from the 4-4-2 he has used when Benteke has been available.

"He's still feeling it," said Sherwood. "He'll be in the squad. We'll give him as much time as we can to get him fit.

"We changed it around and the boys came in did well. We're not always looking for one guy. It's a team effort, we have to attack together and defend together.

"There is no onus on one person to score the goals. I don't think Christian feels the pressure, it doesn't look like it.

"All I need to know is when he'll be back fit and he's got an opportunity to be fit for this weekend."