John Mensah's performance has left Sunderland boss Steve Bruce excited after the Ghana defender played for the Black Cats in Tuesday night's Carling Cup win over Birmingham City. The Black Stars defender made his first home start in the Black Cats' 2-0 Carling Cup victory over Birmingham as Bruce also heaped praise on Paulo da Silva, the Paraguay international captain. The performances by the duo would pose some selection headaches for Bruce ahead of Sunday's Barclays Premier League clash with Wolves. He said: "You just see Mensah and you look and think, 'That's a bit of quality'. He has got that arrogance that top players have got, he is quick, powerful, he jumps, heads the ball well, he's tough. "That's why he is captain of his country and da Silva mirrors him in that respect. He will be okay too. "It's taken a little while but the two of them are here now, they are part of us now, thankfully. They will be big players for the club, I am sure of that. "The two of them are captains of their countries, and you don't captain your country unless you have got something. Of course, they have never played in English football, that's the big question mark. "But I am sure they will be big players for the club over the next few months and years. They are two really good players and they both can play anywhere too." Source: ghanafa.org