Elmo, who joined the Stadium of Light in the summer on an extendable season-long from ENPPI, was given a starting role upon his arrival.

He was quite impressive in the Sunderland's early games, however; he has been confined to the bench over the last five Premier League matches, playing only for few minutes.

But Bruce assured the 23-year-old won't remain a peripheral figure for long.

"The one thing about Ahmed is he had a great start to his Sunderland career and, as with a lot of young players, it's up to me to try and protect him a little," said Bruce on the Black Cats' official site.

"We're still not even halfway into the season yet and he'll have a big part to play. I felt the time is right to give him a little rest.

"Having a break from it will freshen him up and he will be ready for the challenges ahead.

"I've been absolutely delighted with how he's done. It's not easy for a young lad to come from abroad and play in the Premier League. He has been fantastic."