Birmingham City boss Steve Bruce is willing to wait for Wilson Palacios to pick up the pace in the Premiership.

Bruce, who signed the Honduran on loan to December, said he had to be given several weeks to settle.

"The big thing with foreign players, especially someone coming from South or Central America, is how quickly they adapt, and how quickly they take to English football," said Bruce.

"When you are buying the top ones, you expect them to settle more or less straight away - that's why you buy them, and that's why they cost the most money.

"But what we find with them is that question: Can they adapt in this country? And can they adapt to the certain way we have to play?

"The language thing, the cultural thing, the society thing - it's the whole package.

"And let's be fair, us English, when we go abroad, we're not very good at it. We don't pull up trees do we?

"So we have to be mindful of that with Wilson. He doesn't speak the language, he's thousands of miles from home and the football is a lot different here.

"But, of course, if we didn't think he's got a chance, then we wouldn't have proceeded with the transfer."