Sunderland coach Steve Bruce has revealed he is toying with the idea of restoring John Mensah to his starting line-up at Stoke on Saturday.
The injury-plagued defender has returned following an ankle problem and is available for the Barclays Premier League clash at the Britannia Stadium.
Mensah has benefitted from an extra week's training after Bruce opted to leave him on the bench for the 4-2 defeat against Chelsea.
But the 'Rock of Gibraltar' is fighting fit once more and may be included on Saturday.
Asked about the possibility of Mensah returning, Bruce said: "Possibly. He's trained all week and we purposely let him have another week's training. He's in contention."
If Mensah is given a starting place, as many as three Ghanaians including Sulley Muntari and Asamoah Gyan could be playing for the Black Cats.