Gyan netted on his Sunderland debut at Wigan in September

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce says he would have no hesitation in handing Asamoah Gyan a start should Darren Bent miss Monday's trip to Blackburn.

Bent withdrew from the England squad with a groin injury on Monday and remains a doubt to feature in Bruce's plans at Ewood Park.

"That's the reason why we brought Gyan in," Bruce told BBC Newcastle.

"If Bent goes down then we've got somebody of that quality to bring in, which for a manager is fantastic."

Bruce added: "Gyan's come in and judging by the way he's trained the last couple of days he's far better, he's happier in his surroundings now, and come to grips with it.

"He's done a lot of physical work, which he needed, which has helped him as well."

Bruce also revealed he would welcome an offer to take Northern Ireland international striker David Healy on loan in order to boost his match fitness.

The former Fulham and Manchester United striker joined the Black Cats in August 2008, but has made just 21 appearances, scoring three goals in that time.

"We need David to go and play somewhere. It's a shame because he's a very good player, but he's a victim of the Premier League," Bruce continued.

"He's been here for a couple of years, he hasn't really been able to break into the team and so much so that he's found himself sitting on the bench, which hasn't done him any good whatsoever.

"So we want him to go out and play some football. I'm sure David wants to go out and play some football, so let's see if there's anybody out there who wants to take him."

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