STOKE CITY'S gruelling pre-season training camp in Austria has been a monumental success according to England hopeful Ryan Shawcross.
The 22-year-old defender is preparing to return to England tomorrow with the rest of the squad following an intense eight days in the Alps, which has seen them work feverishly in a bid to build up their fitness ahead of the opening day clash against Wolves on August 14th.
Speaking exclusively to stokecityfc.com this afternoon he said: "It has been without doubt the toughest week's training I have ever done. It has been intense and extremely tough both physically and mentally, but we know how important this will be for us.
"This time of year is all about making sure you get fit and try to avoid picking up any knocks and niggles. Thankfully, all of us have come through it without picking up anything serious.
"Already, we are all feeling the benefits of coming out here and working in this climate. The altitude makes things a lot harder for you, whilst the heat has also made us have to dig in that much more. But as hard as it has been, we will all reap the rewards when the season gets underway.
"There is still a lot more work to do over the next few weeks, but the toughest and most draining work is done now."
The Potters fly back to Mancheter Airport tomorrow and will then be given a day off to recuperate ahead of a string of friendlies which have been lined up over the course of the next few weeks.
"It will be important for us to build up our match fitness and get back to playing football again over the next few weeks," added the former Mancheter United youngster.
"Obviously, a lot of the stuff so far has been to build up our general fitness, but with a lot of matches coming up it will give us a chance to build up our match fitness which is as equally important.
"We want to be out there playing football, and obviously we want to win every game we play, but the priority is to make sure we are ready for the new season. If we win the friendlies then great, but if not, it isn't something that will get us down."
