Source: Northern_Echo
Injury-hit Mensah big worry for Bruce
STEVE BRUCE will meet John Mensah's agent next week in an attempt to kick-start his summer recruitment drive, but the Sunderland manager admits the Ghanaian's injury problems could make it extremely difficult to sign him.[LNB] Mensah's loan deal from Lyon is due to expire at the end of the season, and the defender's French employers have told him he is free to negotiate a permanent move away from the Stade Gerland.[LNB] Bruce would love to sign the 27-year-old on a long-term basis, but is only too aware of the chronic injury problems that have restricted him to just 12 Premier League starts this season.[LNB] Mensah suffers from a longterm back problem that makes him much more susceptible to suffering minor niggles throughout his body, and it is doubtful whether he will be able to play a full campaign for the remainder of his career.[LNB] A balance will have to be struck between his obvious footballing qualities and his propensity to spend lengthy spells on the sidelines, and Bruce has hinted that another loan agreement could be the only deal that is acceptable to the Black Cats.[LNB] John Mensah's agent is flying over next week and we are desperate to do some sort of deal, said the Sunderland boss. However, it will be very difficult for me to buy him because of his ongoing problems.[LNB] We will weigh it up, and I'll speak to Niall (Quinn) and Steve (Walton). If we can get him on the same sort of deal a loan for a year I'll do that just to have him in the building, because we all know what a good player he is. But the problems he's got are horrific.[LNB] Bruce has already offered Bolo Zenden a new short-term deal at the Stadium of Light and the former Holland international is currently mulling over his options, having previously spoken of a desire to play regular first-team football next season.[LNB] Bruce regards Zenden as a valuable squad member, able to cover a number of positions in midfield and defence, and with loanees Martyn Waghorn and Jack Colback due to return to Wearside this summer, the Black Cats boss will not be looking to sign players to flesh out the fringes of his squad.[LNB] His priority will be quality, rather than quantity, and there will be no repeat of the large-scale upheaval that saw 18 players leave the Stadium of Light last summer.[LNB] Supporters can expect a handful of big-money signings, with the purchase of an experienced left-back a priority.[LNB] Despite having failed to sign Wigan's Maynor Figueroa in successive transfer windows, Bruce is expected to make a third attempt to sign the Honduras international.[LNB] I think we have the nucleus of a very good squad, he said. So it's going to be about adding quality to that if we can, but it's going to be very difficult.[LNB] As well as the players that are here, we have some young lads coming back from doing really well in the Championship and we'll be looking to see if they can make the step up, like (Jordan) Henderson and (David) Meyler have this season.[LNB] We have five players out on loan at the minute and, if we bring them all back, we'll already have too big a squad as it is. So it's not going to be a case of bringing in large numbers of players this summer. I don't anticipate there being anything like the upheaval there was last year.[LNB] There will still be players leaving, however, and there are question marks over the futures of Anton Ferdinand, Kieran Richardson and George McCartney, all of whom have been left out of the starting line-up for significant spells this season.[LNB] Ferdinand is the only member of the trio likely to start against Burnley this afternoon, as Sunderland look to extend an unbeaten home run that stretches back to mid-December.[LNB] Mensah and Lorik Cana are available after returning to training this week, but Lee Cattermole will not be risked after picking up a calf injury during last weekend's 1-0 defeat at West Ham.[LNB] Cattermole has suffered a succession of injury problems in the second half of the season, and Bruce could opt to leave him out of the final four matches to guarantee his fitness for the start of pre-season training.[LNB] I am not going to risk him,[LNB] he confirmed. He's hurt his calf and had a lot of niggling injuries. I don't want him to be injured and have a summer of recovery to contend with.[LNB] I think we were seeing signs of him returning to top form before his latest injury, but he's had a horrible time with injuries and we have to be mindful of that.[LNB]
