Newcastle United players are not yet back in training at Benton, but there is a reason why they have all been hard at work in locations across the globe in recent weeks. Still scarred from the shuttle runs last summer, the squad know this could be their most gruelling pre-season yet as Eddie Howe prepares to whip his side into shape for an assault on four competitions.
Howe has said, himself, that Newcastle 'don't want to go too far away from what we've done' after his high-intensity side qualified for the Champions League, but the Magpies boss is 'realistic enough to know there are more games and that's a bigger challenge'. That is an understatement.
Newcastle played 46 matches last season and the black-and-whites will contest the same number of fixtures this time around - before you even factor in whether they progress in the cups or make it into the last 16 of the Champions League.
