SUNDERLAND midfielder Carl Robinson insists the Black Cats have an added incentive for promotion this season - guaranteeing Mick McCarthy's future at the club.

The Wales international believes the one sure way to stop the former Republic of Ireland boss being linked with Premiership clubs is to become one themselves.

McCarthy has turned Sunderland from a team of highly-paid under-achievers into a youthful squad on the verge of a return to the top flight, allowing his paymasters at the Stadium of Light to stabilise the club's debt around the £35m mark.

His achievements on a shoestring budget haven't gone unnoticed in the boardrooms of the country's top clubs, and Robinson admitted the players at Sunderland are aware their manager could be a wanted man.

"Mick's a good manager and he'll be linked with good jobs, while Mick's players are good players and they'll get linked with Premiership clubs," said Robinson, who should start in central midfield alongside Jeff Whitley today.

"Although the players are wary that one day Mick might take a bigger job or whatever, there's not many bigger than this one. He wants to get Sunderland in the Premiership.

"There's a lot of Premiership jobs come available but, in my view, none as big as this one, so that's why he wants to do this.

"He came here the year before last and his job was to get Sunderland back in the Premiership. We missed out last year, which was unfortunate.

"We have to make sure that this season we are promoted."

Robinson is all too aware McCarthy wants to test his managerial mettle against the biggest names in the game and the boss's ambition is matched by the players and backroom staff at the club.

And the squad's collective belief is they will all be playing Premier League football next term under the guidance of the former Millwall manager.

Robinson said: "The hunger at this club is massive (to get to the Premiership). You only have to look at the manager.

"Obviously he expresses his views to the players and he wants to manage in the Premiership. He's a top-class manager and he's a top bloke as well.

"It's no surprise he's been linked with numerous Premiership jobs.

"But he wants to stay here and get Sunderland back where they belong and we all firmly believe he will.

"He does all the work during the week and it's up to us to perform on a Saturday and we're performing well at the moment.

"We know we can perform better and we have to do that to get in the top two."

Today sees Robinson come face to face with his former colleagues after spending a month on loan at Sheffield United last season.

And he for one will welcome Blades' boss Neil Warnock to the Stadium of Light, having been impressed with the manager often described at best as 'belligerent'.

The former Portsmouth midfielder can see a lot of similarities between the straight-talking Yorkshiremen McCarthy and Warnock, who were born 15 miles apart in the south of county.

Robinson said: "They're both honest blokes, they're both hard workers and they enjoy their time on the training field.

"The main thing is they're both winners. Neil has his knockers and people think he goes over the top at times but that's because he wants to win.

"Mick's the same. Mick will join in training and if he loses a five-a-side or a tackle he loses his head.

"He wants to win every tackle and every ball and he's like that on a Saturday - he wants to get that through to the players.

"I know what Neil Warnock's like. How he gets his team's motivated, what he instills in people's minds.

"He'll have them fired up. They'll want to win every tackle, every header and we have to match them.

"A lot of people have varying views about Neil Warnock but I like him. He's a good bloke, a very good manager and he gets the best out of his players.

"The reason why the likes of Michael Tonge and Phil Jagielka want to stay there is because of Neil Warnock, because you do learn under him.

"He'll want to put one over on us and Mick and it's visa-versa.