Steve Bruce insists Sunderland have “a vacancy for a hero”.

And he is convinced Ghanaian Asamoah Gyan perfectly fits the description. The Sunderland boss splashed £13million on the Ghana World Cup star last summer, but he believes when Gyan turns on the stunning performance that pegged England back at Wembley on Tuesday night he is worth £30million.

Bruce said: “When Gyan plays like he did the other night, he could be a £30m player. You can’t go on one performance, but if he does it regularly here, the world is his oyster. Gyan is a massive hero in his homeland and he thrives on adulation.

“If he can settle into the Premier League and bring the level of performance he displayed at Wembley to Sunderland he will receive the acclaim he craves in England as well. Asamaoh is a real livewire and a character as we saw with his celebrations at Wembley