Everton's stars returned to Finch Farm after the summer break as attention turned to the coming season.
Photos released by the club showed the players going through their paces in the gym and being put through training drills under the gaze of Frank Lampard. Among those in attendance was new signing James Tarkowski following his arrival after his contract with Burnley expired.
Behind-the-scenes, the focus will be on further strengthening the squad after last season's relegation battle - and to replace Richarlison after his departure last week. Finding another source for goals after the Brazil international's move to Tottenham Hotspur will be crucial to progress under Lampard.
With Finch Farm a hive of activity again, the ECHO took a look at the scenes from the first day of training and picked out a few key points.
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Vitalii Mykolenko in action - even though he had the option of a longer break
Everton confirmed players who had been on international duty following the conclusion of last season would not be required to attend Finch Farm on the first day of pre-season. Despite therefore having the option of a longer rest, Mykolenko - who played four times for Ukraine after the conclusion of last season - was present on Monday. The defender was pictured in action in the gym at the state-of-the-art training complex and being welcomed by Dele Alli.
New man straight into action
It became an open secret that James Tarkowski was heading to Merseyside - a move that was confirmed by Everton on Saturday. The 29-year-old signed a four year deal as he arrived on a free following his time at Burnley. He could be seen working with fellow centre back Ben Godfrey on the training ground.
Injury-hit players ready for pre-season
Everton were plagued by injuries throughout last season, the absence of key players hitting Lampard's ability to plot a route to safety until the final week of the campaign. Three players who missed swathes of last year were Ben Godfrey, Yerry Mina and Tom Davies. The troubles suffered by Godfrey and Mina undermined efforts to built a stable centre back partnership for the final months of the season, while Davies spent months out before recovering in time to start the final game of the season, away to Arsenal. All three were in attendance at Finch Farm - Mina and Davies both pictured in good spirits and Godfrey shown on the training pitch.
Young stars answer call for duty
Lampard is expected to use the pre-season tour to the USA to take a look at some of the club's young stars. He often filled spots on his bench with academy prospects and Tyler Onyango, Reece Welch and Isaac Price all received first team minutes under him - and were in action at Finch Farm on the first day back.
Midfielder set for crucial summer weeks
Jean-Phillipe Gbamin was also in attendance ahead of what is likely to be a crucial period in his Everton career. Gbamin has struggled with injuries since completing a permanent move from Mainz in the summer of 2019. He spent the end of last season on loan at CSKA Moscow and may have a battle to convince Lampard he should feature in his long-term plans.
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