SUNDERLAND target John Mensah last night claimed to have signed for the Black Cats but while club officials continued to await confirmation, Craig Gordon has revealed he is playing a waiting game of his own.

Mensah yesterday told his personal website first that he had passed a medical, then that he had signed an agreement to join the Stadium of Light outfit from French club Lyon on what is understood to be a season-long loan.

“I have finished with the medical examination and by the grace of God it was successful,” he said at first, later adding: “Yes, it is true after training this morning I was given a document to sign indicating I am going to be on loan to Sunderland.

“Now I am on my way to Paris where I am going to meet a Sunderland team doctor to present my medical report to him. All documents will be sent to FIFA for approval. (Mensah’s agent) Fabian Piveteau has revealed to me that Steve Bruce has confirmed to him that I will get my UK visa.”

The Black Cats will have an option to buy the Ghanaian centre-back for £7m next summer but Mensah seems unlikely to go straight into Steve Bruce’s starting XI for tomorrow’s home game against Blackburn Rovers, when Gordon will be on the bench. The Scottish keeper had knee surgery in May and only resumed training just before the start of the new Premier League season.

Though he has been an unused substitute in Sunderland’s opening two games of the new campaign, Gordon admits he is still re-acquainting himself with, and recovering from, the demands of modern-day training.

“I’m getting there on the injury front,” he said. “The knee feels fine, but when I’m getting back into training my body’s doing a lot of work it’s not used to, it’s been over three months since I trained.

“It’s taking a little bit of time to get used to those rigours and getting used to putting the muscles through the rigours of what they need to do every day.

Despite his own frustrating start to the season, Gordon has been encouraged by the way Sunderland have kicked off their Premier League campaign.

After a “great start” at the Reebok, defeat to Chelsea was far from unacceptable, and with three points out of six Gordon says he and his team-mates are looking forward to the visit of Sam Allardyce’s Blackburn side.

“The lads had a great start at Bolton, getting three points at the Reebok, which isn’t an easy place to go, thanks to a committed performance,” Gordon said.

“Three points from two games is a reasonable start and I think we have to be satisfied with that even though the defeat to Chelsea wasn’t what we were looking for. Chelsea had a good night and sometimes you have to accept that and move on to the next game. Their first goal was critical on the night as they got on top of us – as soon as a team like Chelsea begin to do that they will punish you.

“Everyone in the camp is looking forward to the Blackburn game and I think that’ll be a very similar one to Bolton.

“They’ll probably play a more direct style of football and we must stand up and do that. We showed at Bolton that we’re up for a scrap and I think this game will be no different.”

Meanwhile, Grant Leadbitter insists he is unperturbed by the summer arrival of Lorik Cana and Lee Cattermole, and is relishing the challenge of winning a place in Sunderland’s midfield and helping the club climb the table. “It doesn’t bother me to see the players come in that have come in, there’s been players linked with this club all through the summer,” said Leadbitter, the subject of a £3m offer from Wigan when Steve Bruce was Latics manager.

“If better players are brought in then it is only going to help the team. That’s good for us all. Competition has been here for the last couple of years and that will continue.

“All the fans have been hearing the plans for the club for the last few years and now we need to start doing it.

“We want to finish as high up the table as we can and attract a few more top players in. Players are ambitious and we all want to finish top ten this season.

“If we can deliver that in the manager’s first year it will be an improvement.”