Sunderland's assistant manager Eric Black says John Mensah has the potential to star for Ghana at this year's FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Mensah - who also represented his country in Germany in 2006 - is hoping to hold off his previous injury problems and line up for the Black Stars at the biggest footballing event in the world.
The on-loan Lyon defender has won praise for his recent performances at the heart of Sunderland's back line as he notched up four consecutive appearances for the first time.
He dealt comfortably with the threat of Carlos Tevez against Manchester City and Black rates the 'Rock of Gibraltar' as one of the best in the English top flight.
And Black's convinced that an injury-free Mensah can star on the world stage this summer, telling safc.com: "John can make an impression in South Africa, without doubt.
"He's one of the most natural defenders you'll see and on his day he's up there with the best in the Premier League.
"I've seen him play several times for Ghana and they have some very good players. He can do very well if we can get him through the remaining games - then he can go to the World Cup and see what that brings."
Black added: "John's taken everything in his stride. He has a great mentality, he's an exceptional defender and he's an experienced defender now, to a certain degree.
"He's quick, reads the game exceptionally well and he and Michael Turner are a great pair. John's getting a lot of the credit but Michael has been outstanding in the last few games."
