SUNDERLAND'S Argentinean star Julio Arca has more reason than most to help fire the Black Cats back into the Premiership as he bids to kickstart his international career.

The former Argentinos Juniors man is keen to see the Stadium of Light full to the rafters again if and when it welcome the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United United back to Wearside.

And while the Black Cats have spent the last two seasons out of the top flight, the 24-year-old has been forced to put hopes of representing his national side on hold.

Despite starring for the Wearsiders in their promotion push, Arca is aware that his performances have failed to register back in his homeland. He is keen to put that right by again showing he is capable of performing against the best in the Premier League.

"It would be great to get back into the Premiership and play against the biggest teams again," said Arca, who expects to recover from a knock he took against Coventry and line up against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.

"It will be great to fill the stadium week in week out with 48,000 people. It will be great for the club and for the fans."

Speaking about his own ambitions Arca, who has represented his country at junior level, said: "If we get promotion then there'll be wider opportunity to show what I can do - there'll be a better chance for me to show what I can do in the Premiership.

"At the moment though I'm concentrating on Sunderland. It's a smaller window in international terms in the championship than when you're in the Premiership

"I'm not in contact with the coaches there (Argentina) at the moment but I've always got that ambition. I'm only 24-years-old so I'm not going to lose that ambition now.

"It's difficult because they have a lot of players in my position in the national team but the ambition is still there."

Arca was widely tipped for full honours when he immediately impressed following Peter Reid's deciision to sign him in the summer of 2000 for £3.5m.

The left-sided midfielder has seen Reid and Howard Wilkinson depart since then, but he has been impressed with the impact Mick McCarthy has had on the club.

"If you compare the situation with two years ago when we went down it is a complete turnaround," said Arca. "The manager has turned it around. There's been a lot of work done and at the moment we are seeing the benefits.

"At the moment things are going well and we have to keep them going the same way."

Arca, however, is in no mood to accept promotion back to the Premiership is assured despite the Black Cats currently enjoying a five-point cushion between themselves and third spot.

He said: "People are already talking about next season but we haven't been promoted yet.

"We have to keep our heads down and keep focusing on the first goal - promotion.

"We have people talking about what's going to happen, if the manager's going to buy players next season and we're not even in the Premier League yet.

"We'd like to be there but we're not there just yet."

McCarthy's dealings in the transfer market have also impressed Arca, who believes every player brought in has had an immediate impact.

And he believes the spirit in the Sunderland camp is the best since he arrived at the club almost five years ago.

"There have been players brought in from lower divisions - two divisions lower than this - and playing at the level they have all season is amazing.

"Many of them have played in every game and those on the bench, when they've come on they've done their bit.

"That's what happened in the last game (Coventry). Andy Welsh and Sean Thornton came off the bench and you could see when they came on they were chasing every ball, tackling, running all the time.

"Not many teams have players like that to call on and that's why we're top. Everyone working together, every single player working in the same direction and that is why we're on top at the moment.

"The spirit in the camp is one of the best I've seen here. Everyone wants to play but the manager has to pick just 11 players and that's the only bad thing that he can't pick more.

"The players on the bench are desperate to play ten minutes if they can and show what they can do."

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