.... Gus Poyet has hinted that Fabio Borini has played himself into the role of preferred front-man with his Wembley wonder goal.
Having made his Sunderland debut in the FA Cup, Scocco is a confirmed starter for the Black Cats boss in the FA Cup sixth round clash in East Yorkshire.
He is likely to play with Jozy Altidore, with Fabio Borini either rested or shunted to the wing, a process that is unlikely to continue in the Premier League after he impressed Poyet with his performance last weekend.
Having been put through an intensive strengthening and sharpness programme, Scocco is expected to post an improved showing at Hull.
“He’s better, much better. He’s playing on Sunday as well,” he said.
“He does things around the box that we don’t have at the moment. He can have a shot or score a goal from nothing and that’s something we’ve been missing – especially when we’ve been in control and we’ve had that half a chance or half an opportunity with that shot.
“To do that a lot he needs to be sharp and he needs to know this league, which is incredibly fast and non-stop, which is new for him. It’s easier for foreigners who are defenders. Defenders have their shape, they defend – of course you are playing against good players but you can cope.
“Midfielders struggle because they don’t stop here, normally the game stops in other countries. For strikers, if you’re not strong and sharp (you will struggle). You get more contact in this country that you don’t get in others so you need to be strong and sharp and that is what we have been working on.”
Borini impressed Poyet on Sunday, though. “He was desperate to play up front. For some reason every time he played up front something went bad – the Hull game or other games where it didn’t happen – but he took his chance,” he said.