Sunderland midfielder Jordan Henderson could get his big chance after seeing Lee Cattermole ruled out for three months.

The 19-year-old, who signed a contract extension until 2013 last week, may find himself thrust into the heart of Steve Bruce's midfield as he attempts to find cover for his £6million enforcer.

Bruce confirmed today that Cattermole damaged his medial ligament during last Saturday's 1-0 Barclays Premier League victory over Liverpool and will be out for at least 12 weeks.

That has come as a major blow to the Black Cats, who have seen the former Middlesbrough and Wigan player form an excellent central midfielder partnership with fellow new arrival Lorik Cana.

However, Bruce is confident that in the shape of local boy Henderson and Holland international Bolo Zenden, who signed a short-term contract at the Stadium of Light last week, he has ready-made replacements.

The manager said: "We have a few options in midfield. We will miss him [Cattermole], but we have others who can step in.

"Jordan comes to mind. He came on [against Liverpool] and was terrific.

"It is your worst nightmare losing someone like Catts, especially with the size of the squad, but I am pretty comfortable that we can overcome it."

Henderson has been involved in all but one of the club's 11 games to date this season - he was an unused substitute for the other - after impressing Bruce following the manager's arrival from Wigan during the summer.

The Sunderland-born player, who made his senior debut against Chelsea in November last year under Roy Keane, has emerged from the club's academy to stake his claim with a series of assured displays.

Bruce said: "If there's one player who really, really jumped out at me when I arrived three months ago, it was Jordan.

"He has been involved in nearly every game we have played this year. I like him as a boy.

"He has got a big, big future, so we had to reward him, when he was in the first team squad repeatedly, we simply had to reward him and tie him up.

"We are delighted he has signed a four and a half-year deal. He has got a big future."

Henderson may now get an opportunity to prove that earlier than he might have expected, although it will give neither he nor anyone else on Wearside any pleasure that it has come at Cattermole's expense.

Bruce initially feared Cattermole's season could be over, and was relieved that it was not his cruciate ligament which had been damaged.

However, he will now be out of action until well into the new year, and that will be a significant disappointment for a manager who worked so hard to take him to the Stadium of Light just 12 months after persuading him to leave Boro for Wigan.

Bruce told the Sunderland Echo: "We think it will be at least 12 weeks for Catts.

"He's done his medial ligament. It's not good news, but it's the best we could have hoped.

"We were all praying he had not done his cruciate and damaged cartilage, which thankfully he hasn't - but he's still out for the best part of three months.

"You feel for the boy because he's had a great start here and has epitomised what we are about and why we brought him here.

"He's done everything we knew he would. He couldn't wait to rampage around the park last weekend and for the part of the game he was on the pitch, he was fantastic."

Meanwhile, Bruce has confirmed that Kenwyne Jones' ankle injury, which also saw him leave the field on a stretcher at the weekend, is not as serious as was first thought, and has given him an outside chance of making Saturday's trip to Birmingham.

He said: "We don't think Kenwyne is too bad. He has swelling on his ankle and will be touch and go for the weekend, but he could be okay."