Cédric raring to go

The full-back had another busy time over the break from Premier League action, helping his country to a third-place finish in the Confederations Cup, a year after they won the European Championship title.

Despite such a heavy schedule over the past two years, Cédric reported back for duty at Stpalewood feeling fresh and raring to go for the new campaign.

"I feel great. It's good to be back here, back home and I'm ready to start the training,” he said.

"I try always to do something – some sports. Also, I don't feel good if I don't play some sports, so I relax a few days and then I start to do some stuff, so definitely I didn't lose so much condition.”

Speaking about a hectic pair of summers, Cédric added: "I think it's a positive. It means you are in the national team and means you are in the biggest tournaments, and that is always a very good thing.

“It's better we have less holidays and we participate in these kind of tournaments, because that is our life, football, and we want to be in the big competitions.”

Cédric also reflected on a memorable experience in Russia this summer, with the Confederations Cup acting as the precursor to next year’s World Cup there.

"I think it was a very good experience,” he said. “It's not every day that you can participate in that kind of tournament and I was very proud of that and it definitely was a great experience

“The environment, the stadium and everything was very nice, and I think we had a good tournament as well.

"We got used to the country, which is good for some adaptation. Of course, we still need to qualify for the World Cup. It's still our goal, so we need to focus on that, but it definitely was a good experience and maybe it can help us in the future.”