Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan is hoping to enjoy a better second season in the Barclays Premier League.

The 25-year-old scored 11 goals, 10 of them in the league, during his first campaign for Sunderland but is confident he will make an even bigger contribution this time around.

Gyan told the Sunderland Echo: "I'll definitely be a better player next season. As I said before I came here, it was my dream to play in the English Premier League. I feel I have established myself now, but there is more to come."

Having become a fans favourite, the Black Cats attacker is thrilled with the support he's received from the fans.

"The fans love me which is really important. When the people are behind you, you keep going and I hope to do more.

"It depends on me keeping working hard. There are some seasons where things don't go well, but that doesn't mean you are a bad player."

With Sunderland set to commence pre-season on Wednesday, Gyan, who signed for the club for £13million from French club Rennes in August last year, believes a full pre-season and the experience he now has under his belt can only improve him this time around.

"It's the most difficult league in the world and you need to be 100 per cent fit to survive, which I wasn't when I arrived.

"There have been plenty of good players who have come to the Premier League and not done well, so it just shows how difficult it is."