Mensah Sunderland commitment could lead to permanent deal

Sunderland coach Steve Bruce has paid tribute to John Mensah’s recent performances and says the Ghanaian could not be demonstrating more clearly how much he wants to continue playing for Sunderland beyond the current campaign.

The Lyon centre-half is on his second season-long loan at Sunderland, bidding to prove that he has a Premier League future.

And Bruce admits he could hardly be more impressed with the captain of Ghana than he has been of late.

He told the Echo: “John has been absolutely terrific for us recently – amazing when you consider he’s been playing with a damaged shoulder.

“When he’s fit, he’s good enough to play in any side, and I mean any side.

“He’s as good as anyone I’ve worked with.

“And that first half-hour at Fulham last weekend – before he took a bad knock which gave him a bad neck for the remainder of the game – it was like a defensive masterclass.

“No, there’s no doubt about it, John Mensah’s a bit special and we’re very happy to have had him at this time.

“To me, this effort of playing on while recovering from a dislocated shoulder shows just how much he wants to play for this club.

“Let me tell you, there’s not more than a handful of players in the game who could have tolerated playing on with the injury he’s got.”

There’s irony in the fact that, given Mensah’s terrible injury record, he’s one of the few centre-halves available to Bruce at the moment, with Michael Turner, summer signing Titus Bramble and Anton Ferdinand all sidelined.

Bruce smiled: “If you had told me at the start of the season that John Mensah would have been my only fully fit central defender in mid-December, I probably wouldn’t have slept from then until now!

“Everyone knows that with John, the problem is keeping him on the pitch.

“But, fingers crossed though, he’s got through two full 90 minutes in his last two games – the first time he’s done that here – and maybe there’s a few more to come.

“At the moment, his legs are strong and there’s none of the usual problems there.

“It’s just that his shoulder’s hanging off!

“The thing about the shoulder injury is that it steadily improves every week as the muscle recovers and it is great that he is recovering while still being able to play.

“While we’re short on bodies in central defence, his contribution is even more important than normal.”

With Ferdinand sidelined by a hamstring strain suffered against Fulham last weekend, the likelihood is that Mensah will again be partnered in the centre of defence by Nedum Onuoha, who deputised last Saturday – switching infield from right-back – after Ferdinand was forced off.

Bruce said: “Nedum has been superb for us in the league this season wherever he’s played. He’s played centre-half many times before in his career and he certainly looked the part coming in for Anton last weekend.”

If Onuoha does play in the centre of defence, on-loan Egyptian Ahmed Elmohamady is the likeliest replacement at right-back, having come on in that position at Fulham.