JACK ROSS insists he will continue to pick his Sunderland players on the quality of their performance in training and matches rather than on reputation or the amount they earn.

The Black Cats host Fleetwood Town this afternoon looking to extend their unbeaten start to the League One season, and with a host of previously-injured players now back available, Ross faces the toughest selection decision of his tenure so far.

Having successfully introduced Lee Cattermole and Bryan Oviedo to the starting line-up earlier in the season, he is set to hand a first league start to £1m summer signing Charlie Wyke after the striker proved his fitness in Tuesday’s Checkatrade Trophy game with Stoke City.

At some stage in the next couple of months, he could also find himself considering the merits of offering a recall to Papy Djilobodji, but while he is presiding over a squad containing vastly-different wage levels, he is adamant he has no interest in salaries or status.

The likes of George Honeyman, Lynden Gooch and Josh Maja have played prominent roles this season despite their tender years, and Ross will continue to treat all his players as equals even though some might be on £40,000-a-week more than others.

“When I came into the job, there were two things I did,” said the Sunderland boss. “One, I didn’t ask for an opinion of players until I came in, I did my own homework in terms of watching them.

“Also, I completely separated myself from a player’s earnings because I wanted to judge them and assess them myself, every day on the training pitch. That’s the best way to do it. On a match day of course, but with the work they do every single day.

“I think because I judged them that way, and my staff judged them that way too, that quickly took away any feeling of that (being influenced by earnings).

“You’d have to ask the players separately if it ever came into their thoughts, but when I was a player, I never really concerned myself with anyone else’s contract. As long as I was satisfied with my own, I was happy.”

Sunderland are without Oviedo and Bali Mumba for today’s game, but Wyke is set to make his first league start as a central striker.