Sunderland Star Puts Football Over Family To Prepare For New Season

Jack Rodwell is aiming to put last season behind him and silence the critics with a return to form in the upcoming campaign. The 24-year-old has endured a career blighted with injury at Everton and Manchester City, but his £10 million move to Sunderland was expected to end that. Unfortunately, he could only manage 17 starts for the Black Cats in 2014/15, but he's determined to spring back to his best this time around, while not even his new born baby could stop him linking up with the squad in America. He told the Sunderland Echo: €œI only got a couple of days with the little one and then had to come here, so duty calls! I had to come away and do my job. It was the night before the Darlington game, so I didn€™t get any sleep. I contemplated playing in the match, but I knew it wasn€™t possible so I had one day at home with the little one. It€™s been a whirlwind really.€ €œIt€™s a massive season for me and I want to be flying come the first game. Yes, I definitely feel I have something to prove €“ not to myself, but to people who don€™t think I can do it. I believe in myself a million per cent. I know what I can do. But I feel like there€™s still a few doubters out there. €œIt does bring a bit of extra pressure coming with a big price tag, but prior to last season, I didn€™t play any football for two years. I was playing a bit of catch-up last season and there were a few injuries which made it tough. This season is going to be a big one for me." Rodwell is hoping for a complete pre-season with the ultimate aim of scoring a starting slot in Dick Advocaat's starting XI come August. He said: €œLast year, pre-season was all a bit disrupted €“ it was half with City and half with Sunderland. I didn€™t really get that continuity. It€™s massively important for every player to get a good pre-season so they can hit the ground running in the first game of the season.€