GUS POYET has hailed John O’Shea as Sunderland’s ‘immovable object’, and claimed the 33-year-old defender is still capable of playing for any of the teams in the Premier League’s top six.

O’Shea returns to his former stamping ground of Old Trafford this afternoon looking to maintain a record that has seen him play in every single minute of every Premier League game this season.

While Wes Brown, Santiago Vergini and Sebastian Coates have swapped centre-half duties, O’Shea has formed the bedrock of Sunderland’s back four, with his performances contributing to the nine clean sheets that have helped the Black Cats keep their heads above water in the bottom half of the table.

Poyet is quick to highlight the Irishman as one of his side’s most reliable and influential performers, and after making almost 400 senior appearances during his 12 years as a Manchester United player, the Sunderland head coach insists his skipper is still more than capable of starring for one of the leading clubs in the country.

“The fact he’s played every minute of every league game tells you so much about him,” said Poyet. “Can he sustain it until the end of the season? The way he is going, why not?

“It’s some achievement, but despite his age, I’m not surprised. He’s our skipper and a very good leader. It’s been a bit touch and go for him lately, but he’s always willing to play. He was a bit tight all week after the Bradford game.

“His training and attitude make him such a good leader. That’s why he is captain. It was an easy job to make him the skipper.

“If you know John well and what he is capable of, you realise why he played for United for so many years. We are lucky to have him because he could still be playing regularly in a top-six team. A lot of players leave Man United and disappear, but not John. He is still an international and a big player.”

Ironically, O’Shea’s reliability stands in direct contrast to the defensive instability at the club he left to move to the Stadium of Light in the summer of 2011.

Manchester United’s defence has been all over the place for much of the season, with Phil Jones and Chris Smalling suffering a succession of injuries, Jonny Evans’ form deserting him and Marcos Rojo struggling to make the impact that was anticipated when he moved from Sporting Lisbon last summer.

United’s ongoing struggles were highlighted by last weekend’s 2-1 defeat at Swansea City, but with Louis van Gaal’s side still sitting in fourth place in the table, Poyet feels that tales of their demise have been greatly exaggerated.

The Old Trafford side have won ten of their 13 Premier League home games this season, meaning this afternoon’s match will still represent a considerable test to a Sunderland team who have picked up just two league wins on their travels.

“I think they’re (Man United) better than people think,” said Poyet. “I know it’s easier to see the negative side, and I’m not saying they’re hitting the performance the manager is expecting or playing exactly the way van Gaal wants, but look at their results.

“If they get into the top four with all the changes that have happened after (Sir Alex) Ferguson, I think that would be a big achievement. Look at Arsenal – they are delighted when they are in the top four, so why not United after everything that has happened in the last two years?

“I think it’s going to be a decent season for them this year. There has been a lot of negativity about them, and it’s true that they did spend money. But I think they are doing better than some people thought.”

Last season, Seb Larsson’s first-half goal secured Sunderland their first win at Old Trafford since 1968, and the victory, which came on the penultimate weekend of the season, effectively sealed the club’s top-flight survival ahead of matches against West Brom and Swansea.

The Black Cats had already taken four points from trips to Manchester City and Chelsea before they headed to Manchester United, and Poyet admits there were some emotional scenes in the dressing room after the game.

“That was the day I felt we were safe,” he said. “On the final whistle, people didn’t see what I did. I shook hands with Ryan Giggs and ran down the tunnel to be with the team.

“When I got to the dressing room, I remembered I had forgotten about out supporters, so I went back but they were leaving already and I was on the other side of the pitch.”

Sunderland travel to relegation rivals Hull City on Tuesday, but Poyet accepts the club are not in a position where they can afford to pick and choose their games.

“Some might think that (the Hull game) is the one we should target, but you can’t think that way,” he said. “We will try to beat Man United, and then we will see.

“You can’t just forego an opportunity, although we will have to be good in all aspects. The main one is that if we create things, we need to score. I saw Man United against Burnley, and Burnley had clear chances. They didn’t take them though, and United did.”