Premier League players you didn't realise would be at the World Cup: Sunderland

Paraguay / Jaymes Monte / 04 April 2010 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

John Mensha is one of the cleverest defenders in the Premier League.

Sunderland's duo of World Cup captains may not have set the Premier League alight in their stop-start first seasons, but you can be sure that they will be integral parts of their nation's chances in South Africa this summer...

"At 30 years of age Da Silva is very much an old-school defender by trade and reputation. Rarely will you see him striding up past the half-way line with the ball at his feet or on an overlapping run up the wing, but old-fashioned crunching tackles and good positional sense are traits which appear to be of a second nature. "

Paulo Da Silva - Paraguay

The transition from South America to England is one which very few players have made successfully throughout history. Steve Bruce however, seems to have found the magic formula, as has been highlighted by the successes of Antonio Valencia, Wilson Palacios, Hugo Rodallega and Maynor Figueroa.

The latter didn't play a competitive game for Wigan until seven months after his arrival in the country. Injuries and suspensions at Sunderland meant that that type of approach wasn't possible with Paulo Da Silva and he was rushed into action in the heart of the Black Cats defence early in this season. Yet now, after a prolonged period of absence and bit-part involvement, Bruce believes that the Paraguayan captain is ready to cement his place in the starting line-up.

At 30 years of age Da Silva is very much an old-school defender by trade and reputation. Rarely will you see him striding up past the half-way line with the ball at his feet or on an overlapping run up the wing, but old-fashioned crunching tackles and good positional sense are traits which appear to be of a second nature. He can, and has, played in any position across the back four but when bearing the captain's armband for his country the centre-back position is where you will find him.

Paraguay are [4.7] second favourites, behind Italy, to win Group F and odds of [100.0] to win the World Cup.

John Mensah - Ghana

Lyon still hold John Mensah's registration papers but it is widely expected that Sunderland will make the loan move permanent for a reported €7million in the summer. After being granted a work permit at the end of August Mensah made his full debut for Sunderland alongside Da Silva in their 2-0 Carling Cup win over Birmingham back in late September of this season.

Although he is an established member of the Ghana national side and often wears the captain's armband, at the age of 27 Mensah has developed the reputation of a journeyman. Since joining Bellinzona in 2000 the man nicknamed the 'Rock of Gibraltar' has played for eight clubs in the space of 10 years; only at Rennes did he nail down a regular first team starting place over the course of two seasons.

Much like teammate Da Silva, Mensah has an uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time. However, in contrast to the South American, his physical presence is as intimidating as it is impressive and he is also very comfortable running with the ball at his feet. It is a testament to his talent that he has developed such a notable reputation despite a career blighted by injury.

Ghana can be backed at [2.3] to qualify from the difficult World Cup Group D consisting of Germany, Serbia and Australia and are odds of [40.0] to make it to the final on July 11.