Sunderland may be battling for promotion in League One at the moment, but that hasn't always been the case.

The Black Cats have rubbed shoulders with the best clubs in the countries in years gone by, and more than that, they've come out on top on their fair share of occasions.

You only have to go back five or 10 years to come across some of football's biggest names who have worn the famous red and white jersey.

But while plenty have worn it with distinction over a number of years, others have merely represented the Wearsiders for a matter of weeks or months.

While some of those players have already been forgotten, their are some players who went on to great things in the game after their spell at the Stadium Of Light.

But who are these stars? We take a look at five Sunderland players who you may just have forgotten.

He may play for Newcastle United now, but St James’ Park wasn’t his first stop in the North East.

The Tottenham man spent the 2012-13 season on loan at the Stadium Of Light where he first established himself as a more-than capable top flight player.

Whether the Sunderland supporters count him as a Wearsider after his latest move, though, is up for debate.

He’s represented Chelsea for the best part of four years, but few would have predicted that based on his time with Sunderland.

Alonso spent six months on Wearside during a loan spell from Fiorentina in 2016 – a stretch which failed to impress the majority of the Black Cats’ supporters.

Safe to say he’s done alright since which begs the question – what went wrong at the Stadium Of Light?

He was Leeds United’s full-back for the majority of their years near the top of the English game, but the Republic Of Ireland international was far from done with Northern football.

After a spell in Spain with Levante, Harte joined the Wearsiders on a one-year deal before being released in 2008.

He was limited for game-time in the North East which meant that fans were unable to see much of the experienced defender at his best.

He made his name as a Middlesbrough lad through and through, but it was up the A19 where the winger got his big break.

Downing was sent on loan to Sunderland for one month in 2003 where he scored an impressive three goals in seven appearances.

Safe to say the Teessiders were suitably impressed and swiftly recalled him back to the Riverside Stadium where he went on to become an England international.

He’s played for the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal and England, but like many others his big break came at the Stadium Of Light.

The forward spent a season on loan with Sunderland in the 2010-11 campaign where he scored six goals for the Black Cats.

His next season saw him break into the first team fold at Manchester United meaning that any hopes of another move to Wearside were swiftly ruled out.