West Ham United U21s kicked off their pre-season camp in Spain, with a day of double sessions and gym work in the scorching heat on Monday.
With temperatures pushing close to 38 degrees, the Hammers trained early in the morning and then returned to the pitch late in the evening to make use of the cooler weather.
A gym session, as well as time to rest, re-fuel and recover, took place during the day as the team got accustomed to training in the heat.
Having travelled on Sunday evening, Mark Robson led a high-intensity technical and finishing session in the sun.
For the lead coach, getting the group accustomed to the heat was important, although the focus across this week is on tactical work rather than fitness-heavy sessions, with Robson making use of having his full squad together for an extended period of time.
Robson explained: “This year it has been a bit different for us as we have come [to Spain] a bit later during pre-season] and the focus is on technical and tactical stuff.
"We have already done a lot of fitness work back home but getting our full group together has been difficult this year, so it has been good to have this time.
“The boys' work ethic in training has been fantastic but it’s not about just running in the heat and getting fit because the players are already in a really good place. It means we can slow the tempo down and work on a few things from a tactical perspective.
“Myself and Steve [Potts] can work on a few things from both an out-of-possession and in-possession perspective and make sure we have clarity around what we do.
“There are a few key points that we want to get across to the players this week and it is about being clear in that message so that when the competitive games come around we are all on the same page and building from the same framework.”
For players, the challenge is different to training in east London, but the Hammers are enjoying being in Spain.
Trips to the pool and driving range, games of darts and table tennis too, have passed the time during the day, with the squad also resting between sessions that are no doubt pushing them to their maximum.
A team-bonding session on Sunday evening saw the same competitive energy transfer to the pitch a day later too.
But trips away are also about the players building those bonds on the pitch, ones which will no doubt be vital come the U21s Premier League 2 opener in a couple of weeks’ time.
“It is really important for bonding on these trips," Robson said. "You find a few things about the players and we have a laugh along the way as well.
“The boys have been brilliant so far. We had a really good first day of training and you can see the camaraderie between the players during training and also off the pitch. There is a really nice feel around the group at the minute.”
