West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna is happy to be back for preseason.
The veteran Italy international signed a new deal with the Hammers this week.
Ogbonna told whufc.com: I like this time of year. It's a more considered way of doing pre-season now. We're not just running for the sake of running. I come from an Italian basic style where, in pre-season, you don't even see the ball! They would send you into the mountains for two weeks and, day in and day out, you would run. It would be running, gym, running, gym, over and over.
I built my mindset from that though and, to be honest, I don't stop even when the season is over. I was running and in the gym all the time during my holidays in Sicily. It feels wrong if I'm not moving or doing something.
I genuinely believe everything comes from hard work. My dad taught me that. He always said that 'hard work always pays off in the long term'. That's why I have always been focused and I've tried to help others too. It's better to help someone and, when you help someone, you help yourself too."
More must-reads: