Source: PA
Bruce wants to see return on investment
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has told his players it is about time they started to deliver on owner Ellis Short's investment.
The Texan businessman has ploughed millions of pounds into the club, initially to help fund the final phase of then-manager Roy Keane's spending spree and more recently to allow Bruce to conduct a major overhaul of the squad he inherited.
Short's spending has been offset in part by sales, particularly this summer when the departures of Lorik Cana and Kenwyne Jones brought a total of around £13million back into the coffers.
However, he allowed Bruce to pay marginally more than that to French side Rennes on the final day of the summer transfer window in a club-record swoop for Ghana international striker Asamoah Gyan, who could make his debut at Wigan, and the manager is determined to reward him for his faith.
Bruce said: "Fair play to the owner. There has been a huge investment in the club, not just in my 12 months, but over the last three years. We have got possibly the youngest squad in the Premier League - I have made a conscious effort to do that - and we now need time for them to all settle down and get used to what we want and change the mentality of the club for what we want to do over the next few years.
"The owner has played his part. He has transformed it and it is about time we paid him back."
