At clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal, a host of players who haven't featured in the recent flurry of international fixtures are set to start their pre-season on Monday - but what exactly lies ahead for them over the next couple of weeks?
Alex Wynter - who runs his own blog, Fly On The Ball - has undertaken his fair share of gruelling pre-season sessions over the past decade. The 28-year-old defender - who became the second youngest player in Crystal Palace history back in 2010 - is currently preparing to make his bow for Eastbourne Borough in the National League South.
During his years in the game, Wynter has experienced the trials and tribulations of pre-season tenfold, and is currently in the midst of preparing for another tough campaign. Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football , Wynter has lifted the lid on some of the secrets of pre-season and some of the additional challenges that could be await some players this summer...
What a pre-season entails
"You dread the running and you dread the testing, but you buzz off being back around the boys," Wynter tells Mirror Football . "You miss that banter and camaraderie in the month you have off. The boys miss their football, but they don't miss the testing - that's what they're dreading! But you're only running for an hour or so, the rest of the time is banter and good craic with the lads."
The first day of pre-season - or testing day as it's more commonly known - is one of the most gruelling days in the calendar for even the most-conditioned pros. But what does it actually entail?
Running is obviously a given, followed by some more running. But the days of the bleep test are long gone, with clubs now putting players through their paces in a variety of different, challenging ways.
Wynter adds: "Lots of clubs, particularly at the top level now, are doing all kinds of different tests. The yo-yo test is sort of the basic one and has sort of replaced the bleep test, but there's a lot of intermittent running now too. You've got sprints, agility tests and then throughout pre-season you've got loads of different types of running; beach runs, longer runs, shorter runs.
"It's impossible to get away from because you need to get those miles into your legs. Even if you're doing a small sided game, there's still a lot of running involved in it."
And it turns out things don't even get any easier when the footballs are actually introduced. Wynter continues: "It is easier [working with the ball] to begin with, but once you're blowing outside your backside it's not! Because you haven't just got to concentrate on keeping your legs moving anymore; now you've then got to concentrate on looking after the ball as well and your technique, so it can actually be harder with the ball.
But there's nothing better than getting a good pre-season under your belt because it's a good foundation and it makes such a difference in the season - it's impossible to try and replicate it midway through the season."
How does a non-league pre-season compare to the Premier League?
Wynter has experienced pre-season at all different levels throughout his career, but how much do preparations differ between Crystal Palace and Eastleigh, for example, where Wynter was plying his trade last season.
Although you would expect the differences to be vast, Wynter is adamant that there is only one major contrast that he has experienced between clubs who are at opposite ends of the football pyramid.
"Obviously the facilities are different. A lot of strength testing is done at all clubs, but there are different methods and the gulf is probably quite big as well. It's all the same, but the higher up you go, you've probably got more experts and more people pitching in with their ideas to get the best out of the group.
"The main difference is there's no pre-season tour. I've been to Holland and Sweden with Palace before, but a lot of club's lower down the leagues don't get to go abroad. You see the big boys going all over the world now - it's frightening. Further down, everything's all done at one training ground. You might go away and play a couple of games, but it's not a tour."
Various Premier League clubs are set to embark on money-spinning tours across the continent this summer - but do gruelling trips to places like Australia really cause more harm than good? Wynter isn't convinced.
He adds: "I don't know, it's obviously a lot of travelling so you'd think it's quite tiring - but don't forget, these boys have got the best people around them. With things like that, it's probably not as big a problem as it was before. Mentally it might be quite draining travelling the world, but as a player myself, I'd love to travel the world and play football. It's a life experiences that many people aren't privileged enough to do."
How pre-season has changed over the years
It was over 19 years ago that Wynter, then just nine-years-old, joined the academy ranks at Crystal Palace. After progressing through the ranks into the senior fold, Wynter got his first taste of pre-season with the Londoners, who were a Championship outfit at the time.
The Eagles have evolved into an established Premier League outfit since then - and football as a whole has come a long way, too. Analytics and sports science are now part and parcel of the game; but how has that impacted pre-season? Can players overindulge over their summer break and get away with it, or is there now no place to hide?
"To be fair, boys don't really stop over the summer now. They maybe have one or two weeks of downtime over the summer and then they're back in the gym or working on the pitches with people at the club to make sure they're in top condition when they come back.
"The thing is, you cannot afford to go off track because [the club] will do tests like weight, body fat, and sprint times before they leave, so when you come back, you're expected to be in and around those figures anyway. There's definitely no hiding place nowadays; everything is monitored and checked out. You could probably get away with a heavy summer back in the day, but I think the game has moved on and got a lot more professional. It's completely changed - it's all about athletes and more is expected of you."
Although the idea of footballer's allowing themselves to overindulge for a couple of weeks before going cold turkey sounds particularly brutal, Wynter insists that some players actually prefer having a strict routine. He adds: "Footballers are creatures of habit; they love a routine. You hear a lot about players when they're out of the game struggling because they haven't got a routine. It's like anything, you give yourself a taste of something and then take it away then it's hard for those first few days.
"But I think footballers are so conditioned these days that they can do things in moderation anyway. A lot of boys have been cutting things out there whole life, so that's become a habit in itself in a lot of ways. It all comes down to control and professionalism at the end of the day.
Pre-season under a new manager
United endured their worst-ever season in the Premier League era and have a new man at the helm in Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman has a monumental task on his hands at Old Trafford, and pre-season is the perfect time to whip the beleaguered playing squad that he inherited into shape.
But away from the gruelling physical work, United's players will have to get their head around a brand new style of play, with Ten Hag expected to implement the expansive brand of football that won him so many big-name suitors during his successful stint at Ajax.
And Wynter expects some United players will be anxious ahead of Ten Hag's arrival after such a disastrous campaign last year.
"You've always got to impress the manager, whether he's been there six years or six days. At the end of the day, that's the person who picks the team. But when you've got a new manager coming in, as a player, it can be hard and it plays on your mind. But you can't force anything, because if you're not true to yourself then eventually you'll be found out. When you try too hard, sometimes it backfires.
"It's so intense at the top level, you have to give yourself a break. A lot of scrutiny falls on players at a club like Manchester United, and it'll be the same this year with the new manager coming in. I think there'll be quite a few people on edge...I can see them not looking over their shoulders as such, but they'll definitely be wary that this is a huge pre-season for both them as individuals and the club.
"If you've had a bad season, it always lingers over you in the summer break. But it can also give you motivation as well; sometimes you can have a great season and you can come back and get a bit complacent. Sometimes a bad season can actually work in your favour and act as a catalyst to improve.
"I don't know how Ten Hag does it, but it won't be easy because of the style of football he wants to play. With something like that, all of a sudden, you're not just getting to know a new manager, you're also getting to know his ways and how he wants you to play.
"For a lot of players, that won't be something they're used to. So as well as getting fit, they're going to have to learn a whole new playing style.
"I can imagine there'll be a lot of hard work physically, but even more work mentally. There could be slightly longer sessions working on tactics, shape work and what he wants from individuals and collectively as a team."
You can check out Alex's blog at flyontheball.co.uk/blog - and can also follow him on Instagram ( flyontheball_ ) and Twitter ( @alexwynter_ )
