Sunderland boss Steve Bruce delighted with progress of Stephane Sessegnon

Ligue 1 : Stephane Sessegnon (Paris SG)

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Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has expressed his delight with the impact Stephane Sessegnon has made at the Stadium of Light since his arrival despite him being forced into the first-team earlier than planned.

Bruce had hoped to ease the Benin international in slowly but the Black Cats’ horrific injury list gave him no other option but to throw him in at the deep end, and the former Wigan manager is pleased with how Sessegnon has responded.

Speaking to the Sunderland Echo Bruce said: “If we’d had everybody fit and everyone singing and dancing, I would probably have just introduced him now so he could have had time to get used to the culture.

“He’s been living in a hotel for four months for a start.

“But he’s just coming out of his shell a little bit. As soon as he scored against Wigan, I thought he was sensational up front for the next 25 minutes.

“He’s introverted as a boy, but to see a smile on his face was terrific.

“I think he’s played well in a lot of games and I think he’ll be a big player for us.”

It was thought by most that Sessegnon was signed as a central midfielder, but Sunderland’s striker crisis will see him pushed to a much more advanced role, and he is set to form an unusual partnership with Steed Malbranque against Fulham on Saturday.

Bruce continued: “I’ve got to find a position for him, in France, their attacking players all play off the frontman so he always wants to come for the ball.

“But this week we’ve been looking at playing him as an out-and-out frontman because he’s got blistering pace.

“We may need to change our style a little bit to suit him. Sessegnon and Malbranque will give teams a different problem, maybe not physically.

“We might have to play very differently.

“But it might force people to run forward from midfield, like Jack Colback and Jordan Henderson did against Wigan.”