Bruce's stints at Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic have required him to tread carefully in the transfer market, with a budget far smaller than many other Premier League clubs, writes Stewart Coggin. It is for this reason that the 48-year-old has looked to South and Central America for the kind of talent that would cost significantly more were such players born and bred on English shores.

Wilson Palacios arrived at Birmingham in August 2007 from Olimpia on a six-month loan deal after a successful trial and a recommendation from Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman chose not to sign the player after he had a trial in North London. Bruce was a grateful beneficiary and Palacios made his debut in a 0-0 draw with Liverpool at Anfield the following month. A few weeks later Bruce left the club for Wigan. His successor at Birmingham Alex McLeish felt he had not seen enough of Palacios to make the deal permanent. Bruce, though, knew he had a high quality Premier League midfielder in the making and did not hesitate when signing the player permanently in January 2008.

Palacios would go on to justify Bruce's faith with a string of impressive displays over the next year that quickly saw the Honduran linked with Manchester United. His cultured performances in central midfield alongside Lee Cattermole provided a solid base for Wigan and they excelled for much of 2008. Palacios brought grit to the team, tireless running, an ability to dribble past players and to cross with both feet. The fee Wigan paid Olimpia for Palacios was undisclosed but it was a fraction of the £12m they received from Tottenham Hotspur just a year later.

Indeed, the Newcastle-born tactician's shrewd operating in the Latin American market not only contributes to more successful team displays, but also generates a huge profit on the original outlay when selling the player on. Just witness Antonio Valencia's rise to prominence. Albeit a Paul Jewell loan signing from Villarreal in 2006, Bruce made the deal permanent for a small fee and helped the player develop into one of the most fiendish wingers in the top flight. So effective have Valencia's displays been down the right that the fleet-footed Ecuadorian has now joined Manchester United for £17m.

Of course, Valencia would have initially needed time to settle. Moving to England is a huge climate shock for most Latin American players, with the food, weather and general way of life taking some getting used to. There have been numerous examples of players from similar climes failing to settle in England, with ex-Arsenal striker Julio Baptista once admitting: "The weather over here is killing me."

So Bruce has also had to act as a man-manager, helping to make the transition as smooth as possible for new recruits.

"I think it is a bit more of a culture shock for players from Central America," he acknowledged. "It can take them six months to get used to the food, the weather and the way of life over here, never mind the football, but there are some good players out there and I don't mind a bit of travelling to find them."

And nor do the chairmen Bruce has worked under, even former chairmen. Thanks to the Palacios deal, Bruce made a number of contacts in Honduras who have since provided tip-offs about other exciting talents. Bruce was prevented from signing Hendry Thomas for Wigan in January because of work permit regulations, but his former club have since completed a deal for Palacios' fellow-countryman. Meanwhile, Birmingham are still benefiting from the links fostered by Bruce in Ecuador and have signed striker Christian Benitez and defender Giovanny Espinoza this summer.

Another Honduran Maynor Figueroa has been a success at left-back for Wigan, with his speed, strength and fine left foot proving an asset for the Latics. Meanwhile Colombian striker Hugo Radallega has shown glimpses of the talent that persuaded Bruce to part with £4.5m in January. Bruce took over at Sunderland in June and true to form he has already acquired Paraguay captain Paulo da Silva. The defender may turn out to be another bargain.

But the manager is no longer restricted to looking for diamonds in the rough, as Sunderland are by far the wealthiest club he has managed in his career. He recently quipped: "It's like shopping in Harrods now, not Tesco."

Bruce, though, may simply have been playing the media, providing a few headline grabbing quotes for the gathered hacks. For the Geordie gleans much satisfaction from signing little known players and it would be no surprise to see some of Palacios and Figueroa's ilk turning up on Wearside this season.