Morgan Gibbs-White hopes to take Premier League chance with Wolves
For every player pre-season represents an opportunity; a chance to stake a claim or start afresh.
Morgan Gibbs-White is potentially a player who has more to gain than most, with the prospect of laying down a marker just weeks before the Premier League season begins.
With Romain Saiss having a break after the World Cup and Alfred N'Diaye back with Villarreal, Gibbs-White finds himself alongside Ruben Neves as the senior central midfielders in Wolves' pre-season Switzerland tour squad.
Right now he certainly appears to have a good chance of being in and around the Wolves squad come the season opener against Everton on August 11.
"I can't wait for the season," the excited midfielder told the Express & Star. "Just saying you're in the Premier League doesn't really seem right in your head. Playing against the big teams will be crazy.
"It's going to be a big experience for me, stepping into the big stadiums...we'll see what happens.
"I've been dreaming about who I could play against. I've got to wait for my chance to come and take it. I'm looking forward to every game."
Gibbs-White was injured this time last year and missed out on the 2017 tour to Austria.
It's no holiday in Switzerland, with daily double sessions and two friendlies – plus last Saturday's practice match – but Gibbs-White is enjoying the experience.
"All the sessions have been tough but it's good to get us in preparation for when the Premier League starts," he said.
"The facilities are beautiful. Just looking around the place with the views and the mountains it brings you down to earth and you realise how lucky you are to be here.
"And everyone can see from our stories on Instagram how beautiful the hotel is.
"It's good to be back with the boys. I missed a few of them, although there are a couple I'd wish I'd never seen again! It was a very busy year last year so it was good to have a break and spend time with family, get some holidays and sun.
"It's a good opportunity to be in and around it in training sessions with the shape, getting used to how the boys play and how the manager wants me to play."
The next band of youngsters are already pushing behind Gibbs-White, with fellow midfielders Pedro Goncalves and Elliot Watt among six fresh faces joining him on tour.
"The boys have stepped up really well," he added. "They've taken the manager's advice and taken it into training.
"I know them well from the under-23s. They've done well, none of them have been shy and nervous and they've all stepped into the game and proved themselves.
"It's a friendly group and easy to settle into – there's no one you can't talk to."
Next up it's a stiff test against renowned Swiss opposition Basel tomorrow evening (6pm local time, 5pm BST) before a game against Young Boys on Saturday.
"I can't wait for the game, they'll be very good opposition," Gibbs-White added. "Basel are a Champions League team so it'll be good to play against them and get some experience of how they play and go and prove to our manager how good we are – and prove why we should be in the Premier League.
"He wants us to build on our shape, get used to playing with each other again and build on our fitness. That's the main thing about pre-season, getting back to match fitness."
