Dean Whitehead is set to land a £65,000 windfall for helping Sunderland back into the Premiership.

Black Cats chairman Bob Murray has confirmed that the players will share a £1m bonus for achieving promotion.

And the cash will be split according to how many games they have played over the course of the season.

Former Oxford United midfielder Whitehead has made 37 starts for Sunderland - and only four players in the squad have made more.

Although there are 23 players who have made an appearance this season, 11 of those have made fewer than 12 starts, meaning that it is the other dozen who will reap the rewards.

And that is set to earn Whitehead a bonus of between £60-70,000.

Deano has enjoyed a remarkable season in his first campaign away from Oxford, and the Sunderland fans have taken an instant liking to him.

Voting for the supporters' player of the year award has been intense in the North East - and Whitehead is lying in second place behind George McCartney.

"Nobody up here could have imagined what a massive impact Dean would have in his first season," one source said.

"Without being disrespectful, few people had heard of him when he signed, but he has instantly won the fans over, and the fact he is second in the voting shows just what they think of him."

Sunderland will be crowned champions if they win at West Ham tomorrow night, but a last-day win over Stoke will be good enough to claim the title.