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Wanderers midfielder Josh Sheehan says he feels “really good” ahead of the upcoming League One season.
The Welshman hasn’t featured since November after suffering a serious cruciate ligament injury against Stockport in the FA Cup.
But he is currently training with the Bolton squad in Portugal and is looking forward to returning to the pitch.
“I am feeling really good fitness-wise to be fair,” he told the club’s YouTube channel.
“I worked hard during the early stints of the injury and over the summer worked really hard on my fitness and my strength.
“When it comes to the running now and joining in with the boys, I am feeling up to the pace.
“It is about more about getting the sharpness of the football side, which will come in the next month or so. I am looking forward to it.”
Sheehan had surgery to repair the injury and admits it has been a long road back to the stage he is at now.
But sharing the experience with Lloyd Isgrove, who also had bad injury luck last season, has helped at times.
He added: “It was really tough when you first hear the news. Probably the worst period was waiting for the operation.
“In that time you feel like you are doing nothing, you are just wasting time even though it’s not your fault or the surgeon and when they can fit you in. Even when the boys were playing, I found it really difficult to watch.
"Once you get the operation done, I was always looking forward then. It was always getting to this moment and then to the next.
“Being injured with Izzy has helped because we have been talking to each other, we’ve gone to the pool together.
“That is the toughest part when everyone is outside and it is only me and Izzy in the gym – sometimes it’s him on his own and sometimes it’s me on my own.
“But you get through it and I am always trying to be positive about injuries, thinking I can get stronger and ready for the next season. Hopefully, we will both be back soon.”
Sheehan says the squad have been putting in the hard yards in Portugal and hopes that it will stand them in good stead for the upcoming season.
“It’s a real beneficial week because we are all together 24/7, bonding off the pitch as well,” the midfielder explained.
“When it comes to the first and second sessions, it is hard work and maybe at home we might not be able to do that as much.
“But here there are no distractions. We are (training) in the morning, gym, (training) in the afternoon. It’s intense but it is what we need because it will kick us off for a good pre-season.”
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