Asamoah Gyan is hoping a reunion with his Ghana teammate Sulley Muntari will help increase his strike rate. Muntari has signed for Sunderland on loan from Inter for the remainder of the season, with a view to a £6m permanent move in the summer. The 26-year-old – who won back-to-back Serie A titles and last season’s Champions League with Inter under Jose Mourinho – is set to make his Black Cats debut against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium tomorrow. Gyan spent four years playing alongside Muntari in Italy with Udinese and the pair have also been regulars for Ghana for almost a decade, notably helping the Black Stars reach the World Cup quarter-finals last summer. Gyan credits Muntari as an important supply line who helped him notch 22 goals for his country. Now Sunderland’s $13m record buy hopes the link-up will prove just as effective for the Black Cats. Gyan, who has already scored seven times in 21 Premier League outings since joining Sunderland, said: “I am very happy Sulley is here. “I have played with him for Ghana and at Udinese, so I have known him for a long time. He is a good friend of mine. “When I look back at the goals I have scored for the national team, Sulley has had a big influence on most of them, providing assists. “Hopefully, he will help me score more goals here at Sunderland now. “He is an intelligent player, which is why Jose Mourinho took him to Inter and why I am sure he will be a success here at Sunderland.” While fellow new signing Stephane Sessegnon made his debut against Chelsea on Tuesday at the Stadium of Light, Muntari had to watch from the stands as his visa was not issued in time for him to play. However, he is available tomorrow and an added bonus for Sunderland boss Steve Bruce is the fact Muntari already knows all about the demands of the Premier League. He spent 12 months at Portsmouth before Inter paid £15m to take him to Italy two and a half years ago. Gyan added: “I know the kind of player Sulley is – he has great quality and a great left foot. “He contributes a lot to the team and he wins a lot of tackles in the middle of the pitch. “He is similar to Lee Cattermole in that respect, and he is just what we need at the moment while Lee is out injured.” Source: Chronicle Live