Ghana defender John Mensah’s stock is rising again at Sunderland after putting his body on the line in recent weeks for the club. Mensah has had to play through the pain barrier in the last two weeks for Sunderland, helping them to two clean sheets so far. Sunderland boss Steve Bruce called him immense after Saturday’s game and now team mates Danny Welbeck has revealed how their form at the back is owed in large part to the presence of the Ghanaian. “That’s two clean sheets in a row, and that’s not to be sniffed at, especially because of all the problems we’ve been having with the defence,” said Welbeck, who struggled to get into the game in attack. “We seem to be picking up a lot of injuries, but Nedum’s perfectly happy at centre-half and John Mensah has been absolute quality in the last two games. “Nothing’s got past him all. He’s helping to keep the defence nice and tidy and strong, so it’s up to us as attackers to build on that and get the goals. Whenever we pick the teams for training, everyone wants to be on John Mensah’s side. “I’ve played against him a few times and it’s a nightmare, so goodness knows what it must be like to play against him in a match. “When he hits you, you know you’ve been hit. He’s a big guy and he’s fast. He’s an animal really. I’ve never seen a defender like him and he’s always going to be tough to play against. “He’s deceptive because, when you first see him, you don’t necessarily think he’s going to be that strong. But he times his challenges superbly and he reads the game brilliantly. Source: Kickoff.com