Forward enjoying pre-season after making first team return following injury lay-off
After a summer of hard work, Max Clayton believes he is in the best possible position to gather a head of steam ahead of the start of the new campaign.
Following a layoff with a hamstring injury, the 21-year-old made a return to match action in Wanderers’ pre-season win against Helsingor on Saturday.
The forward had previously undergone an operation on a hamstring injury in December 2015, after being forced from the field of play in a game against Brentford at Macron Stadium.
But after working closely with Wanderers’ backroom staff in the ensuing months, Clayton is now relishing a full pre-season working alongside a new management team.
“The return to match action feels like it has been a long time coming,” Clayton told bwfc.co.uk. “It’s good to be back and really good to have this period to get fit ahead of the new season.
“The game was hard work, but that’s what you want at this stage of pre-season.
“The training under the new manager and his team has been really good so far. I feel like I’ve taken to them straight away. They’ve looked after me and instilled a lot of confidence in me.
“It has been quite hard work out here in Denmark and Sweden, but the training has been methodical and the backroom staff have clearly thought about how best to look after the boys.
Clayton also took time to thank many of the backroom staff at Wanderers, who he says have helped both on and off the pitch during his spell on the sidelines.
He added: “It was hard last season training on my own and watching the lads from a distance. To be in full training from day one of pre-season is great.
“It has been a tough injury to get over. I knew when I had the operation it was always going to be around the six-month mark, but I’ve had some great staff working really hard with me. They’ve got me to where I am now and I have a lot to thank them for.
“Mentally, I’ve had a really good off-season. Without the guys working at the club I wouldn’t be where I am. I obviously owe them a big thank you.
“Everything has gone to plan with my recovery. I had a really good summer and did a lot of work over that period. I’ve now got time to really ramp things up and get fit for the start of the season.
“Hopefully there is a lot more to come from me going forward. I can still get a lot fitter and I’m hoping to get more minutes in the rest of pre-season.”