We had a brief chat with Lewis Alessandra to get his thoughts on the pre-season trip so far…
“I feel like I’m learning [what the Gaffer wants and expects].
“Pre-season is always going to be tough but it’s going well and I’m enjoying it so far. It’s one of them where it’s rewarding because once you’ve done it you feel good about it.
“You finish a morning session and you know that in six hours or so you’re coming back out to do another session, but that’s what pre-season is all about. It’s about getting as fit as you can.”
Temperatures have been reaching mid to high 20s during the sessions, which have been physically and mentally challenging. As well as using his downtime wisely, Lewis stressed the importance of keeping hydrated.
“Everyone has got a fridge in their room that’s literally stacked with water. You’ve obviously got manage the heat, which is why we purposely train at 9am and 5pm - we're trying to avoid that afternoon sun when it’s at its hottest. And I think we were quite lucky with regards to the first three days in England being really hot as well so we were already slightly acclimatised to it.
“The sessions in England were just as tough as they were about getting the core base of running back into you, whereas out here it has been a lot more football specific – it’s nice to have the ball at your feet.”