Bruce bonus from sale

Manager Steve Bruce believes the decision to sell Jordan Henderson has helped to make Sunderland stronger.

The Black Cats offloaded the England U21 midfielder to Liverpool, bringing in around £16m.The funds generated from that deal, added to the £24m sale of Darren Bent to Aston Villa in January, has handed Bruce a healthy summer transfer kitty.He has set about putting that money to good use, with Sunderland having drafted in nine fresh faces during the current transfer window.Bruce admits he would rather not have had to part with his prized assets, but feels his squad is in better shape now than it was at the end of the 2010/11 campaign."We were all saddened by the loss of Jordan," he said."But sometimes in football, if it happens and it's the right price - and you can better your squad - then you have to make a sacrifice."We have used the money wisely, investing it in making the team and the club stronger and better."The sale of Jordan has enabled us to bring in nine new players over the summer - and I don't think we're finished yet."