Sunderland forward Emanuele Giaccherini (picture) has been given a boost in confidence following a difficult campaign by being named in Italy’s training national squad for this summer.

The Azzurri are preparing for next year’s European Championship and have not given up on Giaccherini, who was limited to just eight Premier League appearances this season because of recurring ankle injuries.

“I will continue to play for Sunderland next season,” Giaccherini said.

“I’ve endured a really unfortunate campaign but to be included in Italy’s training camp makes me really happy. I thank coach Antonio Conte for his trust and I will give my best to convince him to select me.”

Giaccherini joined the Black Cats from Serie A champions Juventus in the summer of 2013 for £6.5 million but has yet to make an impact at the Stadium of Light, where he is under contract until June 2017.

Conte is expected to announce later this week the squad for next week’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Croatia in Zagreb.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.