Sunderland boss Steve Bruce facing defensive dilemma

Oct 10 2009 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

“But also there’s nothing like sitting on a Saturday and a Wednesday scouring for information to check that your players are all right.

“In the last international week George McCartney did a hamstring, Márton Fülöp came back injured and Kenwyne Jones got off the plane nowhere near fit enough to play in a Premier League game. With all of those things, it’s a double-edged sword.”

Jones will be in a similar position again next week. He is due to play for Trinidad and Tobago against Costa Rica tonight and then take on Mexico in a Port of Spain match which kicks off in the early hours of Thursday morning British time. He is not expected to return to London until Friday afternoon.

Fülöp is with Hungary for their World Cup qualifier with Portugal, which could see the Iberians miss out on South Africa.

Craig Gordon has a rather less important engagement when he keeps goal for Scotland in their friendly in Japan, and Paulo Da Silva is due to captain Paraguay against Venezuela.

Wednesday sees another raft of World Cup qualifiers involving Lorik Cana (for Albania against Sweden), Fulop (against Denmark), Da Silva (versus Columbia), Northern Ireland’s David Healy and Jones.

Sunderland’s scouts will also be busy, with their focus on the South American market Bruce has tapped so successfully in recent seasons.

“Where I’m going personally, I haven’t decided but there’s two or three (options),” said Bruce.

“Our two big scouts are away in South America and we’re scouring the world.”

Meanwhile, Boudewijn Zenden expects to find out next week if the Black Cats are to be his fourth English club.

The 33-year-old Dutch international has been training at the Academy of Light this week after being released by Marseilles in the summer.

“I will know only towards the end of next week,” said the former Chelsea, Middlesbrough and Liverpool midfielder.