Southampton star Charlie Austin believes that a tough pre-season is necessary to return to peak fitness ahead of the upcoming Premier League season.

Most of the Southampton stars have reported back to training recently and new manager Mauricio Pellegrino is already said to have conducted some gruelling sessions with the players.

Austin said: "Yesterday was alright but today was tough. We did the yo-yo endurance test which is the norm, as well as a few other tests in the Academy gym.

"For me, I just want to stay fit throughout the season and this is an important time to set the basis for that. You have to make sure you maintain yourself over the summer.

"You need that break both physically and mentally, but you have to keep ticking over to come back and do the yo-yo.It's the same every year, it's tough. But you know the international lads have been playing pretty much the whole way through June, so you have to be ready."