Sunderland have belatedly kick-started their season with victory at Bolton and a hard-fought home draw with Aston Villa last weekend after labouring through the opening weeks of the campaign. In the circumstances, a trip to Manchester United on the weekend during which Sir Alex Ferguson celebrates 25 years as manager is perhaps not the fixture they would have chosen to attempt to extend that run. Former United defender Bruce said: "It would be us, wouldn't it? It would be us going there, it would be us. "But if there is anything about you at all, these are the games you look at - Old Trafford, 75,000 people, a fantastic place to play football. "The message to our lads is to go and enjoy it, take them on and enjoy the challenge of playing against the best. "If there is anything about you, to play at Old Trafford is the ultimate." Bruce is yet to get the better of Ferguson as a manager, but headed across the Pennines under no illusions as to the task ahead of his team. The 6-1 derby humiliation by Manchester City a fortnight ago may not yet be a distant memory, but United have since won each of the three games they have played, and without conceding a single goal. Bruce said: "Very, very quietly, they have played three games since, they have won the lot and not conceded a goal, which is typical of the mentality he [Ferguson] has brought to the club over 25 years. "That's what he has bred into them, that's what he has achieved. "There is always going to be a funny result or a horrible result here and there. It's how you respond." A relieved Bruce has been delighted with the response he has had from his own team after an indifferent start to the season, which brought just one victory from the first eight league games. Sunderland made 10 summer signings and the manager always knew things would take time to settle down. But while he has been relatively pleased with the performances, results have been hard to come by, so the recent improvement has been more than welcome. Bruce said: "We have been happy with the performances in the vast majority of games, we just haven't been able to string the results together that you need. "Unfortunately, we are probably three or four points short of the target we would have liked to have got. "It would have been nice to have had 13, 14 points, which would have taken us into the top 10." The Black Cats will attempt to add to their 10 points to date against the odds at Old Trafford, and will do so without two key men. Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet fractured not only his nose, but an eye socket against Villa and will be sidelined for at least eight weeks, while former United defender John O'Shea will be missing with the hamstring injury which is also likely to keep him out of the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2012 play-off against Estonia. Midfielder David Vaughan is also a doubt with a groin problem, and that could hand an opportunity to skipper Lee Cattermole, who has been an unused substitute for the last two games. Mignolet's misfortune, however, will open the door for summer signing Keiren Westwood, and Bruce will have no qualms about handing O'Shea's international team-mate a first league start for the club. He said: "He has waited patiently to play in the Premier League and what a fantastic baptism, to play your first full one at Old Trafford."
