New Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone is confident that he and his teammates will be fighting fit for the new campaign.

The Black Cats are due to fly out to a training camp in Italy this week to take on gruelling sessions with manager Paolo Di Canio.

"I've been a bit of everywhere in past pre-seasons [with Arsenal], but it's great to go back to my country," Mannone told the club's official website.

"We can work there, build the team and be ready for the Barclays Premier League. Obviously the fans are expecting a better season than last year and we want to be at our peak before the start of the season."

Sunderland narrowly escaped relegation to the Championship last season.