The Black Cats have agreed a deal worth around £1million for the 28-year-old.
Bruce told The Journal: “He was absolutely outstanding for me for two years at Wigan and it is a fantastic deal for this football club. He was player of the year in my last year there and I thoroughly enjoyed working with him.
“He is a big powerful defender who has played in the Premier League all his life. From about 18 or 19, he has been playing in the top flight.
“He has done extremely well over the last couple of years and I think he is going to be a big success at Sunderland. He was certainly the right player at the right price for me.
“It’s a cracking deal and I’m delighted he is going to be a part of what we are trying to achieve at this football club. He enjoyed playing for me at Wigan and if he can reproduce that form we’ve got some player.”
