New Latics midfielder Cho has known Park for the last six years from their time together playing for South Korea.

Cho has also followed Park's career at Manchester United, where he has spent almost four years following a £4million move from PSV Eindhoven.

Fortunately for Bruce, he has not had to spend a penny on Cho, who has joined Wigan as a free agent after letting his contract expire with former club Suwon Blue Wings.

Bruce knows he has taken a gamble and said: "If he (Cho) is as good as Park then I will be absolutely delighted.

"Ji-Sung Park has done fantastically well, and if you look at the big Manchester United games right now, he usually plays.

"That tells you something about him, that he is very well thought of.

"I know they are big friends, so we have high hopes for him because he has all the ingredients to make a big impact on the Premier League."

Cho felt the time was right to quit South Korea to try to make a name for himself in England, with Park his inspiration.

"While I was in Korea I watched him play in the Premier League, and because of that I had a dream to come here," revealed Cho.

"He provided me with great motivation to play here in England, and thankfully he has told me he is going to help me settle here at Wigan.

"But even if he had not been here, I would still have come because the Premier League is the biggest in the world.

"I was eager to come here, and I was ready to move before the end of my contract."

Apart from missing very spicy Korean food and struggling with driving on the left, Cho feels he has adapted so far since joining Wigan three weeks ago.

Although he has not played a competitive game for three months, and Bruce is wary about throwing him at the deep end too soon, the 25-year-old feels he is ready.

He insisted: "100%. I know what the coach is thinking, but I am strong and confident in my ability."

Cho has certainly impressed in training since his arrival, notably proving a big hit with his team-mates.

"He is industrious, hard working, and he possesses a never-say-die attitude," assessed Bruce.

"He is tough, wants to win, and you can see that with the way he trains.

"In fact, he has illuminated training. When he first joined us all the other players went, 'Wow! Who is this guy?'

"But it's about the demands of the Premier League, and we hope and we think he will cope with it."

Bruce has only one injury concern for the clash with the Black Cats in striker Antoine Sibierski who sustained a hamstring problem in training.