Kirchhoff ready to hand boost to Black Cats

Jan Kirchhoff is eager to make up for lost time and drag Sunderland out of trouble after a succession of injuries ruined his start to the season.

Kirchhoff was one of the Black Cats’ outstanding players under Sam Allardyce last year – the utility man was voted PFA Fans’ Player of the Month in April as he helped lead his side to Premier League safety.

But a niggling hamstring problem has kept him on the sidelines for much of this term, and he has been a big miss to a Sunderland side that have only just picked up some form with two consecutive victories.

(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

The 26-year-old’s recovery now looks complete however, marking his return with a goalscoring, 90-minute performance in Sunderland’s Under-23s side clash with Manchester United.

And Kirchhoff believes he can make an impact back in the first-team sooner rather than later.

“I’ve had a lot of injuries this year and I feel like this is my third pre-season now so I’m pleased to be back on the pitch and pleased to be healthy and fit,” he said.

“To be injured isn’t nice because you can’t help the guys on the pitch every weekend. Just not being part of the squad isn’t the best feeling but that’s how football is sometimes.

“You have a little bit of bad luck and I think when I played the 90 minutes before maybe it was a little bit too early after my long injury.

“For me the only thing that counts now is trying to stay fit, improve my fitness levels and stay healthy, they’re the most important things.”