Boudewijn Zenden could make his Sunderland debut against Liverpool after receiving international clearance.
Dutchman could make Sunderland debut
Boudewijn Zenden is in contention to make his Sunderland debut against Liverpool after receiving international clearance.
The 33-year-old Dutchman has joined the Black Cats on a deal until the end of the season after a spell of training with the club.
He was able to move outside the transfer window after leaving Marseille in the summer and is now looking forward to possibly facing the Reds on Saturday.
"Who knows?" said Zenden. "I could get my first minutes against my former team Liverpool, which would be something special.
"It's obviously a club that is going places. Since the summer, there is a positive vibe.
"The club struggled a bit last year, but looking at the squad, if we can finish in the top 10, and there is always a possibility to qualify for Europe as well if you do well in a cup.
"It's hard to say now because you always have to look at where you are after December. When January comes, you get a better look at the situation.
"But as it stands, Sunderland have had a very good start and if we can continue that way, then definitely we can go places."
Bruce wants consistency
Sunderland continued their encouraging start with a 2-2 draw at Manchester United prior to the international break but results have been too inconsistent for manager Steve Bruce's liking.
They have lost three games out of eight in the Premier League and Bruce does not want to suffer another defeat against title hopefuls Liverpool.
He said: "If you can go and win at Old Trafford, you can go and win anywhere. That would have given us a huge, huge boost, but it wasn't quite to be.
"We can still take heart from the performance and how we played - but the mark of a good team is can we keep repeating that, starting with Liverpool tomorrow and for the next six months?
"If we can do that, then we have got the makings of a half-decent team."
