Jay Rodriguez has said that it is a "good feeling" to be back in pre-season training with Southampton after missing last term with a knee injury.
The striker tore his ACL in March 2014, ruling him out of last summer's World Cup with England, and keeping him on the sidelines for the entire 2014-15 Premier League campaign.
The 25-year-old told the club's YouTube channel: "After the first few days I feel good. It's nice to be back among the lads, to get your bearings on the pitch and get your touch right. I was really looking forward to coming back. Towards the end of your break you're always itching to get back and it was a great feeling on Monday.
"I'm very excited for the season. It's something you just want to be part of. Obviously last year I missed out but I'm just looking forward now and hoping to improve on the year I had before that. It's very important for me just to become a player that isn't injured, like every other player. There's a lot of hard work coming up to get myself match-fit and ready for the season.
"Always when you step out on the pitch you want to show what you can do and improve on the last game or last training session. You want to be better than you were before. For me, I just want to keep improving."
Rodriguez signed a four-year contract extension with the club earlier this year.
Sian Cowper
