Gyan scored on his Sunderland debut against Wigan Athletic in September

Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan has revealed he is happy to bide his time for a starting place as looks to work his way up to full match fitness.

Gyan, 24, has been used mainly as a substitute by boss Steve Bruce following his £13m deadline day move from French club Stade Rennes.

"Bruce knows what he is doing," Gyan told BBC Newcastle.

"He has seen that my fitness levels are not up to standard, so he did not want to put pressure on me."

Gyan added: "We've played big games with this formation and things are going well for the coach, and the way the team are playing things are going well.

"I'm getting used to it, I'm getting back to my fitness level."

The Ghana international has scored twice for the Black Cats since his arrival, form that has endeared him to supporters.

"It's amazing, I really like the crowd, since I came here everything is moving on well," Gyan continued.

"I scored on my debut [at Wigan] and people were happy for me, and I hope it continues.

"It boosts the confidence when people are behind you, you can give you maximum to make sure people are happy.

"I'm here to do my best and make Sunderland go places."

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