Paraguay international Cristian Riveros has been told by boss Steve Bruce he still has a future at Sunderland. The midfielder has struggled to force his way into the first-team after impressing during Paraguay's World Cup campaign.
The 28 year old made just five starts and seven further substitute appearances in the Premier League, leading to suggestions that he could be shipped out after just 12 months.
"I haven't given up on him, not at all," Bruce told the Sunday Sun. "We know he is a good player - we saw that at the World Cup when Paraguay got through to the quarter-finals.
"But I know from past experience that Latin American players take time to settle in when they move to England. He's been here a year and hopefully he will have come to terms with the different style of football by the time the season starts.
"I've always said that you have to give Latin American players time to settle in.
"When I was at Wigan, I didn't play Figueroa for a year when he first arrived at the club. I just let him have that time to settle in and become accustomed to life in this country. At one stage it was touch-and-go with Figueroa but he proved he could adapt.
"Newcastle had a similar situation with Fabricio Coloccini. He struggled when he first went to Newcastle, but last season he was one of their best players."
