Stephane Sessegnon

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce managed to find a positive despite witnessing a 3-1 defeat to Hanover in a pre-season game in Germany.

Benin midfielder Stephane Sessegnon scored the consolation for the Black Cats to earn the praise of his manager.

“Stephane can be a big, big player for us. Towards the end of last season, I thought he was really terrific. He’s quick and has a goal in him,” Bruce said of his £6million January arrival from Paris St Germain.

Mohammed Abdellaoue, Jan Schlaudraff and sub Erdal Akdari were on target for Hannover.