Sunderland midfielder Dickson Etuhu has revealed The Premier League is not as hard as he imagined but he has yet to fulfil his potential at the top level.
Roy Keane signed the powerful Nigeria international from Norwich City but a knee injury has cut short his season, leaving the 25-year-old already eagerly awaiting the 2008/2009 campaign.
. "The Premier League has been good but I was expecting it to be a lot harder, to be honest.
"But I haven't been great this year because it always takes me a season to settle down at a club.
"I haven't been confident enough and I haven't played as well as I did at Norwich or Preston.
"I know that next season is going to be amazing because I'll be fitter, stronger and more determined. It's a real shame I got injured for the season half of the season.
"Hopefully, next season, I'll start off well and maintain it. I can't wait until the new season gets underway."
Etuhu feels he could have avoided aggravating the knee problem he was carrying during the January international tournament with Nigeria.
"I went to the African Cup of Nations injured and I made it much worse," he conceded. "I was forced to play because we had a game and it was to qualify for the next stage and I made my knee much worse.
"I came back and played against Portsmouth and Wigan, where I scored my first Premier League goal, but then, against Portsmouth, my knee swelled up and I was in agony and couldn't play anymore.
"Now I'm really looking forward to recovering and getting back for next season."
