DIDIER NDONG wants to ease the pressure on prolific striker Jermain Defoe by adding more goals to help Sunderland’s fight to climb off the foot of the Premier League table.

Defoe’s 14 goals this season have been a major factor in Sunderland’s relegation fight and without them they would be cut further adrift at the bottom of the table.

The 34-year-old’s excellence in front of goals has at least given the Black Cats some hope in the battle to beat the drop.

But Sunderland’s position would be far greater if they could find goals from elsewhere, with Victor Anichebe the only other players to have scored more than once this season.

Ndong, Fabio Borini and Lamine Kone have all scored, with the former’s stunner at Crystal Palace a sign of what he could be capable of in and around the penalty box.

And Ndong said: “I think we need to score more goals as a team and not just one man. It needs to be collectively that we’re adding goals. So we have to believe in ourselves that we can do it and help the team.”

Sunderland’s squad have spent the week in New York on a team bonding trip, with manager David Moyes believing it should give his players a boost ahead of the run-in.

Moyes’ men are two points shy of safety after winning just one game since mid-December, a run stretching ten games.

Ndong, Sunderland’s £16m midfielder, told the club’s website: “There’s just a real collective effort now because we know what needs to be done.

“The manager has been trying a few things to try to get us working better tactically, with a back-three system and two wings backs for example – which has really suited us.

“We understand we have to change and that we can do better as a collective group. The manager has been great as well, making us believe what we are capable of on the pitch.”

Sunderland do not have a game this weekend and will return to action at Everton next Saturday.

It has emerged the Toffees expect leading scoring Romelu Lukaku to be fit to play, despite being left behind from a training break to Dubai to continue treatment on a calf problem.

Everton manager Ronald Koeman said: “He has a lot of confidence in the Belgian doctor and I gave him permission to go to Belgium and recover.

“We expect him, normally, next Tuesday to be joining in the training session. He will be fit and available for the weekend.”