Saha hails front man Fletcher

Louis Saha says the good form of Steven Fletcher is a major factor in his inability to claim a place in the Sunderland starting line-up.

Saha arrived at the Stadium of Light on a free transfer in the off-season, but has yet to feature from the start in a Premier League match.

Fletcher – a 12-million-pound August signing himself – has scored five of Sunderland’s six goals so far, and has quickly become a fan favourite.

“The manager is more intelligent than me to decide (on the line-up),” Saha told the BBC.

“I’m not really in a position to ask for anything to be honest; Fletcher is doing really well and it’s only a matter of time before the team around him clicks.”

With Fletcher’s team-mates struggling to match his performance level as yet, sections of the crowd are calling for Saha to be partnered up front with the Scotland man.

“Steven’s a very smart player so I think there’s no difficulty in us linking up,” the 33-year-old said.

“It’s nice to hear (the fans want me to play), but I’m getting there fitness wise as I was behind most of the other players, and I feel ready now.

“I want to get more minutes and I need to help the team make progress so I’m just trying to do my thing when I get the opportunity.”