England duo John Stones and Tom Heaton have both revealed how they’ve been able to use the COVID-19 lockdown to work on their condition.
Aston Villa goalkeeper Heaton has been working hard in rehab to continue his recovery from a serious knee injury sustained at the start of the year, while Manchester City defender Stones has been looking to shake off some niggling injuries which had restricted his appearances this season.
And speaking to Micah Richards in the latest edition of ‘Micah Phones’, both players admitted they’ve used their time at home to maximise their fitness.
"I've used this time to take a step back and look at where I can do more in terms of off the pitch work,” admitted Stones.
"As soon as we stopped, I went into the gym and started doing things and from now, I can see where we've come from with my quad strength.
"You can get wrapped up in things when you're playing, you feel fit and everything, but if you've done work off the pitch too, it’s even better.
"It's been an eye-opener for me, in a way I wouldn't have seen before, that I've got to do more not just for me, but for my team mates as well to make sure I’m selected.”
And Heaton, whose injury had ruled him out for the rest of the season, has now been given a boost by the fact that the postponed UEFA EURO 2020 is now a possibility for him after previously writing it off.
"It's going really well, it's obviously a difficult time but it feels really good and I’m back doing running.
"I’ve been blasting the rehab, doing a couple of hours in the gym every morning and it's gone really well.
"You want to do more than you're given really and I know if you put it in and do things right, you'll come back strongly.
"For me, it’s [EURO 2020] another silver lining. When I first did the injury on 1 January this year, you're gutted to miss the rest of the season for Villa but obviously aiming towards being involved in it during the summer too.
"So for that to be pushed back, and you never have any guarantees of course, to have the chance to be involved in that, Christmas has come early for me really.
"That gives me an opportunity to be involved which I thought had been lost.”
Watch the full show here, as both players talk in more detail about their time with England and during lockdown.
