MIDDLESBROUGH begin their pre-season training today and, if George Friend is anything to go by, Aitor Karanka will be impressed with the condition of his players when they return to Rockliffe Park this morning.

While most clubs have already returned to training following their summer breaks, Boro – who will sign Bolton Wanderers defender Alex Baptiste today - have extended their summer by a week to allow the squad the chance to fully recover from a season that only ended on May 24 with the Championship play-off at Wembley.

And while it used to be the case that the summer was an opportunity for excess, the modern footballer has to stick to a training plan and come back to training in top condition.

To avoid falling foul of Boro’s strength and conditioning coaches, Friend has been doing more than his fair share during the summer weeks.

“It's all relative to our season,” the 27-year-old left-back explained. “The manager's got lots of staff and sports scientists who will work it all out to the hour, nevermind the day, for our pre-season so they will be fully prepared to get us ready for the start of the season.

“I've stuck to it (my plan) word-by-word, minute-by-minute and I've even done extra so, but I always keep active anyway in my off-season. I like to play different sports, it's the only chance I get because during the season we're training and there isn't time to do anything else.”

During the play-off campaign, Boro fan and star of the BBC’s comedy Hebburn, Neil Grainger, made a series of tribute videos for the club, set to 1980s soft rock anthems, with his parody of Starship’s We Built This City striking a chord with Friend.

“Every time I went for a run in the off-season I played We Built This City and it got me through the off-season being away from football and spurred me on to do my running for pre-season and I did slip in some of the words as well,” said Friend, who made a cameo in one of Grainger’s videos.

“It's fantastic and it really touched me and whenever I hear that song it gives me a bit of a chill. I think that will stick with me forever.”

The play-offs certainly brought out the best in Middlesbrough’s creative skills, with Teesside band Cattle and Cane covering Stevie Wonder’s Isn’t She Lovely and adjusting the lyrics to form a tribute to Friend, who admitted he was flattered by the band’s efforts.

Friend said: “That was incredible, I haven't spoken to anyone since, Cattle and Cane, I just want to thank them because it was a touching song and my family and everyone enjoyed that so thank you.”

And Friend hopes that the momentum generated by Boro to the end of the season will stand them in good stead for the coming campaign.

“We had a superb season which was full of excitement and success in its own right,” said the full-back. “We didn't get there in the end but I think, apart from the end, it was a superb season and there was some great play. I think, hopefully we will eclipse that and we give those fans that have bought tickets something to cheer about.”

Jelle Vossen is expected to sign for Burnley this week, after Belgian side Genk agreed a fee of 3.5million Euros with Sean Dyche’s Clarets. The 25-year old spent last season on loan at Boro.