It has been a lengthy process, but Craig Gordon is now being recognised for his quality as a goalkeeper rather than the size of his transfer fee.

The most expensive British player in his position has experienced some trauma since his £9 million move from Heart of Midlothian to Sunderland in 2007, but is now being acclaimed as the “real deal” by his manager.

Having experienced problems with form and fitness in his two years on Wearside — he has only recently recovered from knee surgery — Gordon has emerged as a pivotal figure for Steve Bruce’s side this season. Against West Ham United on Saturday, the Scotland international produced a string of immaculate saves that formed the platform for his team’s recovery to secure a 2-2 draw.

It has helped that Gordon has had a more solid line-up in front of him, although injuries to key personnel have meant that Bruce has not been able to field a settled defence and, regardless, the 26-year-old’s talent has shone through. He has also benefited from individual training with Nigel Spink, Sunderland’s specialist goalkeeping coach.

“He is getting to where he should be,” Bruce said. “He struggled a bit last year with injuries and all the rest of it. He had a bad knee when we came to the club. He just needs a little bit of confidence, but certainly he produced a couple of saves when we needed him to against West Ham which were right out of the top drawer.

“He looks like the real deal again. Spinky has worked hard with him and with the injury he’s had, we have made sure we have not rushed him back because that would have been quite easy and we’re reaping the reward now.”