Kyle Lafferty gives fitness update and tells Sunderland fans what they can expect from their new signing

Kyle Lafferty says expects to be ‘raring to go’ in a couple of weeks after joining up with Sunderland team-mates on Monday.
Kyle Lafferty says he feels 'blessed' to have joined SunderlandKyle Lafferty says he feels 'blessed' to have joined Sunderland
Kyle Lafferty says he feels 'blessed' to have joined Sunderland

Lafferty has been a free agent for just over a month after his contract with Norweigan side Sarpsborg 08 expired.

Phil Parkinson said on Saturday that he expected the 32-year-old to be available for selection soon, after undergoing physical assessment tests at the Academy of Light before signing last week.

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“I've had about four or five weeks off, I've been doing running myself but training with a team is a different thing,” Lafferty told safc.com.

“You miss that sharpness, getting close to people, pressing people. Hopefully a week or two under my belt I'll be up to scratch and raring to go.”

The former Rangers striker says he ‘knows what it takes’ to play for a club with big expectations and has vowed to bring an energetic and committed approach to the side when available.

Lafferty added that he felt ‘blessed’ to get an opportunity to move to ‘the biggest club I’ve played for in England’.

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“I'll always give 110%, even when we're losing and the game looks out of our reach," he said.

“I'll still be going, chasing every ball down and fighting for every ball. I'll try and help the team get points on the board.

“I know what it takes to play for a team like this and I'm excited to be here. I said when Sunderland approached me, I'd have come here at 21. To get this opportunity at 32, I'm blessed and excited.”

Lafferty watched his new team-mates storm to an emphatic 4-0 win over Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday.

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“The lads pressed the game well and punished [Wycombe] whenever they made a fault,” he said.

“It was a good performance and hopefully we can kick on and I can bring something a bit different to the team.”

Parkinson says he is looking forward to working with the Northern Ireland international.

“He brings good competition at the top of the pitch, he has good energy, can stretch the pitch,” he said.

“He has good physicality about his game and his movement in and around the box is good.”