Mensah plotting top half finish for Black Cats (From The Northern Echo)

Mensah plotting top half finish for Black Cats

10:49am Wednesday 8th September 2010 in

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SUNDERLAND defender John Mensah is ready to put his injury problems behind him and hopes to help the club push for a top ten finish.

The Ghanaian spent last season on loan at the Stadium of Light, but his first spell was severely disrupted, limiting him to just 18 appearances.

Despite being troubled by injuries, boss Steve Bruce resigned the 27-year-old on another loan deal this summer after describing Mensah as ‘the best defender I’ve ever worked with.’ Mensah – on loan from Ligue 1 side Lyon – has been out since Sunderland’s draw with Birmingham City with a hamstring injury but is ready to return against Wigan on Saturday.

“By the grace of God I am fine now,” Mensah said. “It was a different injury from those I was getting last year and I just had to accept it. Injuries like that are part of football.

“I will not be troubled by my old problems because I am getting special treatment at Sunderland, just like I had during the World Cup.

“I am confident I will play every match for the rest of the season now – honestly. I don’t know the coach’s mind, if he wants me to play every game, but I hope to play every match now.

“I think we have found a solution now. I had special treatment during the World Cup and it made a bad difference.

“When I signed the second deal at Sunderland we sat down and an agreement was made that I would follow the same programme with the same treatment. If I do that then I am confident I will be OK.’’ The Black Cats completed the record signing of Mensah’s fellow countryman Asamoah Gyan on deadline day last week and the defender believes the forward will be a great addition to the squad.

“He is a great player and a good person too,” he said.

“He is young and very talented – he will only get better with Sunderland. With the advice of Steve Bruce and Eric Black, he will get much, much better in England.

“He scores plenty of goals, he’s fast and he’s clever too.

He just needs more experience.

“Sunderland is a big club, I told him this, and I am delighted with him signing for us.

“I think he understands exactly what we are trying to do – we are a team, we are not about one individual superstar and that is how we will win games. We are a team, we do things together and he knows that and accepts that.

“I think he will settle quickly, but it is up to Asamoah.’’ Mensah revealed his new team-mate is not only a talented footballer, but a talented singer and promises the striker will light up the Sunderland dressing room with his music.

“He is the one who leads the music in the Ghana camp,’’ revealed Mensah.

“We like to listen to music to relieve our tension in the national team and he is the one who has that big responsibility.

“We always sing and he is the one who leads the singing.

He is a very good singer. He sings gospel music and he sings very, very well.

“Outside of the camp he has his special music – he makes music with a singer who is famous in Ghana.

“He loves his dancing, he loves his music – he gets everyone in Ghana on their feet!”

Mensah and Gyan were both part of Ghana’s World Cup squad that reached the quarter-finals and the defender revealed why the African side got so far – and England didn’t.

“The World Cup was amazing,’’ he said. “People didn’t think Ghana could make it to the quarter-final but we were a team.

“We loved being with each other, every player was part of a team. We had a good spirit and a good bench – even people on the bench thought they could be part of that team.

“In our team there was not one player who thought he was the best. We all played a big part in it. We were not like England in that respect!”