Paul Clement insists Swansea City are fit and focussed ahead of the new Premier League season thanks to their tour of the USA.
The Swans concluded their three-match trip with a 0-0 draw against North Carolina at the weekend, leaving them with a victory and two draws from their 10-day jaunt.
Head coach Clement says the aim was to get his players fitter, tactically up to speed, and for established ones to gel with the new.
He said: “I’ve learnt a lot more about my players. Spending ten days, 24-7 with them, I’ve learnt some things about them I didn’t know.
“I learned a lot about our team; what we need to work on and also about individual players.
“When we came away we had multiple objectives. One was to get the team conditioned so they would be ready in three weeks’ time. The second was to develop some tactical ideas by playing different formations and players in different positions. And finally to integrate the new signings into the team.’’
Swansea have yet to resolve the future of Gylfi Sigurdsson, who refused to join the trip in the wake of protracted interest from Everton.
That potential £50m deal could yet go through now the club have returned home and Clement continues to be linked with moves for new recruits, including their former striker Wilfried Bony, out of favour at Manchester City, as well as Barnsley full-back Andy Yiadom and City’s Patrick Roberts.
Regardless of further transfer business, Clement believes his own preparation times in in stark contrast to when he arrived in January when the club were bottom of the table.
“It’s a very different situation to when I came in last January.
“We played Crystal Palace on my first day at the club, while three days later there was another fixture. There was no time to get to know the players, so this trip has proved a very valuable period for me.
“We also came here because we knew there were good facilities and we would be playing against teams that are fit and conditioned.
“When you come to this part of the world you know it’s going to be hot and humid, so that’s no excuse. But we had a good time there. The sessions have been hard and the games competitive. We will certainly benefit from it.’’