Sunderland defender Younes Kaboul believes he is getting closer by the day to full match fitness as he bids to turn the Black Cats’ fortunes around.

Having joined from Tottenham Hotspur over the summer, Kaboul has been working hard to get up to match sharpness, in what has been a disappointing start to the campaign for the North East outfit.

The 29-year-old Frenchman looked like he was going to help his side to a well-deserved clean sheet on Sunday but for Ryan Mason to bag a second-half winner for Spurs at the Stadium of Light in a 1-0 win for the Londoners.

With 11 goals conceded in their first five games of the season, Kaboul knows things need to improve at the back and feels he is making significant fitness progress, ahead of their next game against Premier League newcomers Bournemouth on Saturday.

He told the club’s official website: “I’m still a bit far from my best because I didn’t have a pre-season, but I’m working hard every day in training to make sure that I’m at it at the weekend.

“I felt better against Villa and I felt better again on Saturday so step by step I will get there.”

Sunderland will have to make one of their longest trips of the season when they face the Cherries this weekend.

The Black Cats are 5.25 to head back to the Stadium of Light with the three points, 3.75 to draw and 1.70 to lose to Bournemouth.