Gittens is cleared of injury but still building toward full fitness, he said to the media, according to Simon Johnson of The Athletic. "I'm feeling much better, more confident now. My body is better. Hamstrings are good, so I'm just waiting for the season to start. I was training every day (during his summer break), in Portugal, in Marbella; training myself to the maximum to get ready for the season. It (last season) was hard because this was the first muscle injury I have had. I have never had hamstring injuries before. It was a challenge at the start but I am better now. This is such a big club. I want to succeed here. I need to show people what I can do. I will keep working hard. I have shown glimpses, small bits. But this season will be a good season."
Analysis:Gittens missed the final four months of last season with a hamstring injury, which he described as the first muscle problem of his career, calling it a challenge at the start before adding that he feels much better now. His comments reinforce the encouraging signs already seen in his full training sessions at Cobham, and he now looks to build on the small bits he showed last season as he targets a bigger impact under new coach Xabi Alonso.
