Sunderland midfielder Lee Cattermole has admitted that manager Steve Bruce has told him to change his game to avoid further disciplinary problems, following two early-season red cards.

The 22-year-old was sent off twice in the opening four games of the campaign, against both Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic.

That led to a stern chat from Bruce and instructions to ease off on the aggression.

Cattermole told The Echo:"After the second sending-off, the manager didn't say one word to me until the day before the Liverpool game.

"Then he came up and said 'I don't want you to make a tackle tomorrow. If you have to pull out of a challenge, do so. I need you to play games by being on the pitch. Just your presence on the pitch'.

"I listened to him and went out and did that. It was hard because I do like to make tackles. Sometimes you see the ball and just want to get there.

"Since serving my ban, I've barely committed any fouls. I'm not counting, but it's certainly not many. I'm working on it, concentrating on my game.

"The game has changed, so everybody needs to change with it. If the manager thinks I can affect the game by not making tackles, by just being on the pitch and leading by example, then that's okay."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email