Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen admits he's been focused on bulking up in recent months.
Allen will return to action this season with some extra muscle on his frame.
"It has been a process over the last season, really," Allen told the Mail on Sunday. "I have been much more focused in that department. When you have a few injuries, you get more into a routine in the gym but it was something that I needed to do.
"I can definitely feel the benefits of it and I think there is a bit more to do. It is about getting those marginal gains . . . you have to realise how much of a difference it can make.' Clearly he is ready for the fight. Allen is never happier than when he is at his rural home with his young family, but, equally, the responsibility of thriving for Liverpool is not something he will ever shirk.
"For some people the Xavi comparison could probably be an albatross,' he adds. 'But, then again, he is some player to be compared to. If I'm honest, I don't take things like that too serious even if some people have maybe used that in a negative way."
