Dick Advocaat has urged Emmanuele Giaccherini to push himself into the Sunderland starting line-up this season, according to the Evening Chronicle. The Italian struggled with a number of ankle injuries last season, featuring just 11 times in all competitions. Having made 24 Premier League appearances in his debut year, Giaccherini has been in and out of the starting eleven throughout his time on Wearside. Boss Advocaat claims that "he has to show me that he wants to become a regular, like all the others" - although such words could cast a deceptively positive light on the Italian's actual situation. Sunderland have pursued similarly attack-minded central players in the transfer market so far, with Jeremain Lens and Jordy Clasie firmly on the radar, while even the current midfield pecking order would surely see Giaccherini slip to third or fourth choice. Although only at the helm for nine games so far, Advocaat clearly favoured a central trio of Cattermole, Gomez and Larsson last season, with Rodwell and Bridcutt making the occasional cameo. It's hard to predict where the former Juventus man would have fit in were he healthy, especially with the team focused on staying tight at the back and scraping together the points required for survival. Whether Advocaat's encouragement leads to a Giaccherini revival or not, the Italian will be hoping to prove himself a worthy member of the first team in pre-season training. The likelihood of such an outcome is another matter entirely.
