Jan Kirchhoff targets Sunderland return against Everton

And now he is targeting a first team start against Everton at the Stadium of Light on Monday night (8pm kick-off).

Kirchhoff had been out missing with a hamstring strain before making his return in the game against Rochdale.

"I’m really looking forward to the next few weeks," said Kirchhoff.

"I have to do my best in training over the next few days and show the manager that I deserve to start the game against Everton.

"I need to see how fast I can build on 90 minutes but I feel good and I’m ready for the next challenge."

"It has been a busy summer with players leaving and arriving as well as a new manager, but I think we have a really good base to build from.

"We’ve set targets which will see us improve from last season because we have a good squad with a lot of quality, and we want to win as many games as we can.

"The team are not content with simply staying in the league and we want to achieve a bigger goal," he told the club website.