Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has spoken of his pride at Asamoah Gyan’s nomination for the 2010 Fifa Ballon d’Or even though he has not deemed the Ghana striker good enough for the starting eleven of his Sunderland team. Bruce has kept his £13m record signing often on the bench and is yet to give him a start since his move from Stade Rennes on transfer deadline day at the end of August. But he is a delighted man after Fifa named Gyan in their 23-man shortlist for the 2010 World Player of the Year. And he insists not playing Gyan straight away in the Sunderland side is for the player’s own good. "I can't imagine Sunderland have ever had a nominee for World Player of the Year sitting on the bench! "The good thing is that I've just let him come in without all the hype, and kept away the pressure from him while he's adjusting to Premier League football. "When we eventually unleash him, I think he'll be fantastic. Who knows? It could be his day on Sunday." Gyan earned the nomination after a fine season when he scored 13 goals for Stade Rennes and six for Ghana at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2010 World Cup. Bruce is hopeful though that it won’t be long before he shows that form at Sunderland. "He had a fantastic World Cup and a fantastic six months prior to that with his club in France," said the Sunderland manager. "He is just starting with us now. "The fee was a colossal sum of money to pay and we had to pay it because even though we tried, we couldn't get him in before the World Cup. "When you're looking, you're always looking for value for money, but with your strikers, if you take strikers who star in the World Cup, they're always going to be more expensive than anyone else. "But for him to be one of the three Premier League players in the running for this award, it is a fantastic achievement for the kid and a great reflection on Sunderland Football club too." Source: Kickoff.com