Sunderland striker Charlie Wyke is looking to hit the ground running as he prepares for his first pre-season on Wearside.
The Black Cats' No 9 had a frustrating first campaign at the club after arriving in a big-money move from Bradford City at the start of August.
However, he signed with a knee injury which ruled him out of the opening stages of the campaign.
And while he marked his debut with a goal in the 1-1 home draw with Oxford in September, a recurrence of the injury kept him out of the side until Boxing Day.
He went on to make 24 appearances for the club in 2019, scoring a further four times as Jack Ross' side missed out on an automatic promotion spot and, ultimately, promotion after defeat in the play-off final.
The arrival of Will Grigg in a £3m move from Wigan in January threatened his place but, while the two have played together on occasions, it was Wyke who was preferred to lead the line in the key play-off matches.
For the 26-year-old, however, the first half of the season was a frustrating spell, especially as he was one of the marquee summer signings.
And he admitted his injury meant it took longer than he would have liked to settle at the club.
"I've been in and out of the side and being injured early on means it took me a long time to settle," the 26-year-old said.
"I came back from the my first injury, played a few games, and then aggravated the same injury.
"It was a nightmare start, it's the worst start a new player could have.
"I didn't know anyone here really, the club paid quite a bit of money for me and it's a big club.
"There's a lot of expectation on you when you sign for a club like Sunderland, so to pick up an injury made it a lot harder, especially when you do start playing you're not match fit.
"It's not the best combination, it's taken me a long time to settle."
