STEVE Bruce says that as far as his summer signings goes, his biggest frustration has been getting John Mensah fit.
The Lyon centre-half is on loan at Sunderland for a year and couldn't be any more highly rated by the Black Cats boss.
Unfortunately, the inspirational captain of Ghana has barely featured in the campaign after picking up a series of niggling inju
ries.
The manager brought in six new signings over the course of the summer and each has played major roles in the club's progress to one degree or another – Paulo Da Silva being the latest to make a contribution in playing the full 120 minutes against Aston Villa midweek.
But Mensah continues to languish on the sidelines, having featured in just three games since arriving just before the August transfer deadline.
Each of those three games has been victories – wins over Hull City, Birmingham City and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
But the 27-year-old has only been on the pitch for 193 minutes this season.
And Bruce hopes it won't be too long before one of his key signings is again in action.
He said: "It's tough because John has a recurrent calf problem, which is not in itself serious, but just something that he is trying to shake off.
"He's been close a couple of times to being fully fit and then popped it again, which is a frustration because I think he is a top-class central defender and will be a massive help to us once he's playing.
"Hopefully he won't be sidelined for too long because I am dying to get him out there and involved for us and being an influence.
"He's a genuine top-quality international player and we hope to have him back in training over the next couple of weeks."
