Sunderland boss Steve Bruce vows to keep faith with Cristian Riveros

International Friendly,Cristian Riveros,South Korea v Paraguay(Getty Images)

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Cristian Riveros has been told he is still part of Steve Bruce’s plans at the Stadium of Light.

Riveros was signed by Bruce last summer from Mexican side Cruz Azul, after an impressive World Cup campaign with Paraguay.

“I haven’t given up on him, not at all, We know he is a good player – we saw that at the World Cup when Paraguay got through to the quarter-finals,” Bruce told the Sunday Sun.

He added: “But I know from past experience that Latin American players take time to settle in when they move to England. He’s been here a year and hopefully he will have come to terms with the different style of football by the time the season starts.

“I’ve always said that you have to give Latin American players time to settle in.

“When I was at Wigan, I didn’t play Figueroa for a year when he first arrived at the club. I just let him have that time to settle in and become accustomed to life in this country. At one stage it was touch-and-go with Figueroa but he proved he could adapt.

“Newcastle had a similar situation with Fabricio Coloccini. He struggled when he first went to Newcastle, but last season he was one of their best players.”

The midfielder struggled to make a serious impact for Sunderland last season making just five starts in the Premier League, but Bruce has promised the 28-year-old he will be patient with him, hoping that the Paraguayan can repay next season.