Emanuele Giaccherini aiming for World Cup place

Emanuele Giaccherini has claimed that he joined Sunderland to boost his chances of going to next year's World Cup with Italy.

The midfielder signed for the Black Cats from Serie A champions Juventus in the summer for £6.5m.

Giaccherini hopes that regular football at the Stadium of Light will help him earn a place in the Azzurri squad for the 2014 finals in Brazil.

"I wanted to come to England to play regularly," the 28-year-old told the Newcastle Chronicle. "At Juventus, I wasn't given a consistent place in the team.

"And next summer there is the World Cup, so I needed to play regularly. The World Cup was a big reason behind me coming here."

Giaccherini has won 17 caps for Italy since making his debut last year.