Coach praises professionalism of Sheffield Wednesday players

Steve Bruce's squad all adhered to their individual fitness programmes over the summer and reported back for pre-season duty in tip-top shape.

And now the Owls are currently putting the hard yards in Portugal as part of an intense 10-day training camp.

Speaking exclusively to The Star, Clemence said: "The players have been fantastic.

"The manager had a chat with them before we went away on our summer holidays and told them he was going to work them in pre-season so they knew what to expect.

"They were given work to do in the off season and wore the GPS watches so we could see exactly where they ran whether it was down to the park or the beach.

"We gave them programmes to do and all the boys completed their sessions, which tells you straight away that they want to have a go this year.

"I have been coming to Portugal for a number of years with different teams and it is very, very tough but the boys have done well so far.

"They are all getting in ahead of their times and have got to keep it going over the next couple of days. Hopefully they will be in good shape to do well at the start of the season."

As part of their Algarve trip, Wednesday face Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday. The open training session will take place at 7pm at the Estadio da Nora in the Algarve – the home of third tier club FC Ferreiras.

Tickets are priced at 10 euros for adults and five euros for under-12s.

The Owls, who currently have free agent Josh McEachran training with them, return to the UK on Wednesday.