Sunderland boss says Asamoah Gyan can fill in for Darren Bent
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has claimed that Asamoah Gyan is more than capable of leading the line for the English Premier League club in their match against Blackburn Rovers on Monday (18 October) if Darren Bent is not passed fit.
On Monday, Bent pulled out of the England squad to face Montenegro in a UEFA 2012 European Football Championship qualifying match after suffering from a groin injury and it is unclear whether he will be able to play any part in the game at Ewood Park.
However, Bruce believes that Gyan is more than capable of stepping in for the England international, who scored 25 goals for the club last season.
Bruce told the BBC that: "That's the reason why we brought Gyan in. If Bent goes down then we've got somebody of that quality to bring in, which for a manager is fantastic. Gyan's come in and judging by the way he's trained the last couple of days he's far
better, he's happier in his surroundings now, and come to grips with it. He's done a lot of physical work, which he needed, which has helped him as well."
Scored once since summer arrival
Gyan arrived at Sunderland on transfer deadline day from French side Rennes for a fee of over £13m after impressing at the 2010 FIFA World Cup with Ghana. He has made four league appearances so far for Sunderland and has scored once.
Meanwhile, Bruce has revealed that he is open to the idea of allowing Northern Ireland international David Healy to leave the club on loan. Healy has struggled to nail down a regular first-team place — he has made just 21 appearances since arriving in August
2008 — and Bruce would be happy for another club to borrow him in a bid to boost his match fitness.
The Black Cats boss said that: “He's been here for a couple of years, he hasn't really been able to break into the team and so much so that he's found himself sitting on the bench, which hasn't done him any good whatsoever. So we want him to go out and play
some football. I'm sure David wants to go out and play some football, so let's see if there's anybody out there who wants to take him."
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