Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has admitted he may have to rein in the tenacious instincts of captain Lorik Cana if he is to keep him on the pitch.
The 26-year-old Albania international has made an impressive start to his career on Wearside after completing a £5million summer switch from Marseille.
His tough-tackling approach in central midfield has already established him as a favourite at the Stadium of Light, although the yellow card he picked up during Saturday's 4-1 Barclays Premier League victory over Hull was his third in five games.
Bruce has been delighted with Cana's contribution to a solid start to the campaign, but admits he needs to curb the bookings if he is to avoid suspension. He said: "That's his third yellow card - it is just getting him through the season that will be an issue. To say he is trying to do his best is an understatement. You can see why I have made him captain.
"He has obviously got to try to curb it, but he is just full of enthusiasm, trying to do the job and trying to play in England. Everybody is telling him how tough England is - well, the Albanian captain is there to stand up.
"He has got a good way about him. We will obviously have to check the yellow cards if we can, but he will be a cult hero here, I am sure of it."
Comment 1 - 3 of 3
I agree totally but some of the tackles they are getting booked for are not worth a yellow card and the referees must be more consistant when deciding whether to book or not
cana's albanian blood fuels his desire to play hard. i don't think it will be possible for reign him in very much.
i suppose there are far worse problems to have when it comes to competing. :)
You need to check Cattermole's aswell otherwise we'll be missing 2 key players before too long.
Please login to post a comment
Not already a Yahoo! user ? Sign up to get a free Yahoo! Account