Sunderland defender John Mensah has been ruled out of Saturday's Premier League clash West Ham United.

It was thought the Ghana international could recover from a hamstring injury to be able to play for the Cats in the game.

But speaking this morning to the club's official website, coach Steve Bruce revealed John Mensah will miss out and is now focusing on the Burnley game as his potential comeback date.

Bruce says the influential Ghanaian centre-half will not be risked unless the club's physios are confident he can get through the game.

The injury-prone 27-year-old has impressed everyone at Sunderland with the quality of his performances this season