Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Joey Pelupessy: "It's going to be hard, but we'll be ready"

Speaking to The Star from the club’s pre-season training session in Portugal, the Dutchman said: “Today was a hard one. It’s been a tough session but it’s good to be back, and I’m happy to see all the faces.

“The gaffer said it was going to be hard. We can expect more of these days I think.

“It is going to be tough but I think we need it. You need to work hard to be ready for the first games of the season and the whole season. It’s good for us – it’s it’s not always nice to do but we need it to be ready for the season.”

Pelupessy is one of several Wednesday stars to have expressed the need for a strong pre-season. On Sunday skipper Tom Lees said:

“Everybody is ready to get going again. Everyone has come back in good shape so it shows that everyone has been looking after themselves over the summer. It is just about getting back into it now.

“The hard work starts now and this is the base for our season.”