Sunderland coach Steve Bruce said Asamoah Gyan’s slow start to the season was down to fitness problems but was confident the Ghanaian striker would soon rediscover his form.

Gyan, who played a key role in helping Ghana qualify for the World Cup quarter finals last year, played two Premier League games without scoring, appearing unlucky on several occasions.

"With Asa, I don't think his fitness levels are quite right yet. I don't think he is up to speed with it quite yet, If you remember he had six weeks off at the back end of last season, so he has had twice as long as everyone else off,” Bruce said.
 

"We have identified that, we have looked at him and we know something is not quite firing yet. We think it is physical more than anything so he will put in extra work and we will be working with him to try to turn that around again – but it is early days.

"If that shot on half-time is three inches lower on Saturday and that whistles in, then it is Asa and what he is capable of. In the long-term I know for a fact he is capable of scoring in the Premier League." Bruce concluded.

Gyan joined Sunderland from French side Rennes in the summer of 2010, few months after scoring three goals at the World Cup in South Africa.