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.
