Sunderland boss Paolo di Canio has warned his players of a tough preseason.

While revealing his excitement after seeing the fixtures for his first full campaign at the helm unveiled yesterday, he admitted there is much to be done before the Black Cats kick off at home to Fulham on August 17.

Di Canio told the club's official website, safc.com: "I'm very excited and of course it's fantastic to start at home in front of our own fans.

"But there is a lot of work to do between now and Fulham. There are many steps.

"We have to integrate the new players into the team, continue to build and develop our squad and complete our pre-season training.

"There is a lot of hard work but we are ready for it."