DAVID MOYES had wondered if he would have the ‘Special Ks’ who were instrumental in keeping Sunderland up to call on this season and now he has … if he wants to use them.

Lamine Kone, fresh from signing his new five-year contract after the Black Cats were unwilling to sell him to Everton, is a familiar sight again at the heart of the defence, while Jan Kirchhoff was at the hub of the midfield on Monday after injury.

But what about Wahbi Khazri? While the Tunisian’s set-pieces and delivery into the box were an important factor in Sunderland’s great escape under Sam Allardyce, he has not started a Premier League fixture this season.

Khazri has emerged from the bench on a couple of occasions and he hopes to be given more of a chance at Tottenham tomorrow, if preferred ahead of Duncan Watmore or Lynden Gooch. Moyes is still looking for more from the £9m man signed from Bordeaux in January.

The Sunderland boss said: “My biggest concern, and I know exactly what kind of player he is, is when he plays he needs to keep the ball. He might not run as far as some, which I can forgive, but he needs to keep the ball better and that is something I have not yet seen. Simple.

“He came back later, that’s why I delayed putting him in. He didn’t play many pre-season games and I simply put it down to that. When I have introduced him I have said ‘I hope you can keep the ball better’.

“I knew his conditioning was down but I felt he could improve as we went on and I think he is looking better since he came back from international duty and maybe he needed that extra time.

“He is a player we definitely need. I will give up on other things but he has got to keep the ball for me, we want him to make a difference on the pitch. I think there were quite a few games that he didn’t play last year too.”

Khazri will be an important member of Moyes’ squad if he can improve on his ball retention at a time when Sunderland are still searching for a first win of the Premier League season.

There was a familiar sound of jeers and boos at the final whistle on Monday when Everton won 3-0, while thousands of supporters had already left their seats.

But the boost of Kone signing a new five-year deal and Kirchhoff’s impressive first half bodes well going into the a testing trip to Spurs.

Moyes is looking for Kone to go and prove he deserved to become one of the highest paid players in Sunderland’s history.

The 27-year-old will reputedly earn £90,000-a-week at the Stadium of Light; just nine months after arriving from Lorient and a summer of uncertainty.

Everton tried to sign him all summer and it is understood they were willing to pay £21m for the Ivorian centre-back’s services. Sunderland stood firm to keep him.

Moyes wants Kone – who had suggested he was annoyed that a new deal had not arrived earlier - to show why he warranted fresh terms rather than to be offloaded to the Toffees.

“Lamine came six months ago and I was not privy to a lot of what was said,” said Moyes. “But he has a contract that was promised to him and the club was always going to uphold that.

“My feelings was that we would always do it after September 1. It’s worth it because he is a good player and we need him. Now he has to become a leader, a top player. His contract suggests that, so we need him to perform to a really higher level now.”

Moyes revealed Lee Cattermole has returned to training after a double hernia operation but it would seem the trip to White Hart Lane is too soon. Steven Pienaar, who missed the defeat to the Toffees, could return.

Moyes said: “Lee Cattermole and Pienaar have returned to training. Lee is getting much closer to a first team recall. Billy Jones has trained with the first team too. He might be a bit longer because he is coming back from a couple of niggles.

“Steven felt something in his hamstring, we got him scanned and there was nothing there. The game was just too quick and we hope he is OK.”