Bent return gives Bruce dilemma

SUNDERLAND manager Steve Bruce is hoping to have to contend with a major headache when he sits down to pick his team to face Everton tonight.

Leading scorer Darren Bent returned to training last week after overcoming the hamstring injury which prevented him from maintaining his ever-present tag this season.

The injury prevented the eight-goal striker from lining up against Stoke, Tottenham and Chelsea as the Black Cats attempted to bounce back from their 5-1 derby drubbing at Newcastle.

Bruce has spent much of the time since he signed Bent from Spurs worrying about what would happen if he was ever missing.

However, his fears have been emphatically dismissed in the last three games, which have seen record signing Asamoah Gyan take up Bent’s mantle and score four times.

With Danny Welbeck having opened his season’s account with the final goal in Sunderland’s stunning 3-0 victory at Chelsea last weekend, Bruce finds himself in the enviable position of having three in-form strikers vying for two starting berths, and he could hardly be more pleased.

He said: “Darren has been fantastic for 18 months. It gives me an awful headache.

“When he was our only recognised striker, the owner (Ellis Short) dug deep and we managed to bring in Asamoah. He took up the mantle and he came to the plate just when we needed him. I am delighted with the kid.

“The more good players we have got available, terrific. He will give me a hell of a selection headache, but those are the kind of decisions you enjoy making.”

Everton are the final member of last season’s top 10 to face Bruce’s team inside their opening 14 fixtures, and none of them have yet got the better of the Wearsiders.

Everton boss David Moyes is impressed by how quickly Steve Bruce has revived Sunderland’s campaign but must now stop them in their tracks again.

“After the Newcastle game I think a lot of people were ridiculing them and putting them down, but there is only one way back and that is to go out and do it on the field,” said Moyes.

“Steve has turned them around very quickly. They had a bad result against Newcastle but they made sure they put that right.

“We need to go there and be hard to play against and cause them problems.”

Everton’s own recovery from a poor start to the season has slowed this month.

Draws against Blackpool and Bolton extended an unbeaten run to seven games but after losing to Arsenal last week the Toffees have not won in three.

Moyes said: “We had been on a decent run but then had the defeat last Sunday.’’

But history is in Everton’s favour as they head to the north east, Moyes’ side having won 10 and drawn two of their last 12 meetings against Sunderland.

To come away from the Stadium of Light with three points, Moyes knows his defence will have to keep the likes of Bent and Gyan quiet.

Moyes said: “Sunderland have got some really exciting forwards. They have spent on their forwards. They have also got one or two on loan, so they have tried to have a go for it.”

The Sunderland forwards’ proficiency in front of goal is in marked contrast to the situation at Everton.

Only two league goals have been scored by Everton strikers – one each by Ayegbeni Yakubu and Jermaine Beckford.

With that in mind, Moyes has expressed interest in bringing USA Landon Donovan back to Goodison Park after a successful loan last season. When asked if he would like to re-sign him, Moyes said: “We would be, we have said it every time I get asked.”