Sunderland manager Steve Bruce on Friday hit out at the �parasites� who he believes are encouraging Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan to engineer a transfer deal.
Gyan has struggled to rediscover his best form this season after a successful first year on Wearside, and Bruce believes speculation linking the 25-year-old to a transfer is to blame.
Bruce believes Gyan has become distracted by the possibility of a move following his outstanding display for Ghana in a friendly against England at Wembley in March.
�Since that game at Wembley, all the parasites, as I call them, hover around,� Bruce told a press conference. �People are in his ear constantly trying to engineer a deal for him.
�Certainly since the England game, when he played at Wembley so well on the night, something has been troubling him.
�It�s very difficult, the constant speculation no matter what you try to quash or quell, and the people around him, the people who want to make a fast buck, shall we say, and it affects him in the end.
�He was going from Real Madrid to Bayern Munich to Valencia to Atletico Madrid.
�We have had a discussion with him and he needs now to focus and get himself back on track again and be the Asamoah Gyan we know he is capable of.
�These things affect these players, and it has affected Asa.
�I had a conversation with him two days ago to say, �Look, the window has now closed, Asa. Right, we need to see you back playing again and back the way you know you can play.��
Gyan has yet to score this season and has been ruled out of Saturday�s visit of Chelsea after suffering a hamstring injury.
<<Print>>