Charlie Hurley has warned Barclays Premier League defenders they will have their hands full when Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones returns to action.
The 24-year-old frontman is currently training with the Trinidad and Tobago national squad after being allowed to return to the Caribbean for a family funeral as he continues his recovery from a knee injury.
Hurley, who is regarded on Wearside as arguably the best centre-half to play the game after his 12-year stint with the club, admits even he would have found life difficult against the £6million buy from Southampton.
Hurley said: ‘Kenwyne has been missing for a long period of time, and he is a big player for Sunderland.
'I have never seen a guy climb as high as Kenwyne - and it is not just a case of getting up there.
‘He holds it up quite well and he is always in the match, you rarely see him out on the flanks, except when the ball is in the opposition half.
‘If I had been playing against Kenwyne, after the game, I would have come off the pitch with big lumps on my head and he would have come off with big lumps on his head because I would have been heading the back of his head.’
Jones' return to fitness will provide manager Roy Keane with a boost as he attempts to consolidate after a tough first season back in the Premier League.
Hurley was in the crowd at the Stadium of Light on Saturday to see his former club battle their way to a 1-1 draw with Arsenal, and that only after Cesc Fabregas snatched a point for the visitors with an injury-time header.
He remains a huge favourite on Wearside despite the fact he left the club in 1969.
Hurley was in the city at the weekend to sign copies of a biography detailing his life and career, and was astonished by the response of fans who were born long after his Sunderland career came to a close.
Hurley always receives the red carpet treatment at the Stadium of Light, although it was at Roker Park that he made his name during an entirely different era.
He said: ‘When I went up there, I was on the maximum wage of £20 a week. Now you could stick easily three 0's and it wouldn't be that much in a lot of cases.
‘We were earning more than the ordinary worker, but it wasn't like it is today.
‘I couldn't imagine sitting there today getting £50,000 a week. It's a different world.
‘But would I rather be playing today? Not really. The only thing it would have done is I would have been able to do an awful lot for my mam and dad and my brothers and sisters.
‘But I played through a fantastic time for the game when we were all friends, and all friends with the fans as well.’
