Sunderland’s first-team players will return to training on Wednesday 29 July.
The Lads will report for duty ahead of a competitive comeback on 12 September, with the EFL confirming plans for the 2020-21 campaign on Friday.
After signing a new contract at the club until 2022, defender Tom Flanagan will be amongst those returning to the Academy of Light next week.
And following four months away, Phil Parkinson revealed his excitement ahead of a return to training.
“We’re delighted to be returning to training next week,” said the Sunderland manager.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the lads and we’re really looking forward to getting everyone – players and staff – back together on Wednesday.”
🤩Buzzing🤩
— Luke O'Nien (@LukeONien) July 24, 2020
Can’t wait to get back at it ⚽️🔴⚪️ https://t.co/sfYAyZp83l
He continued: “Now we have a start date for the new season, we can move things forward in terms of fitness and recruitment.
“It’s been a challenging period because we’ve been limited in what we’ve been able to say to the players, but we knew that the minute we got a return date, we had a plan to put into action.
“The lads have continued to train throughout the last 12-14 weeks, and we know they are in a good place physically, so it’s just about adding those football movements and, more importantly, making sure we don’t pick up any early injuries.
“Pre-season is typically six weeks and Wednesday is six-and-a-half weeks before the start of the campaign, so those extra few days will allow us to ease the players back in before we start in earnest the following Monday.
“We will do things in a structured way to make sure that when the season starts, we are ready.”
Can’t wait to be back on the pitch 🔴⚪️ https://t.co/1vgPFO9y90
— Lynden Gooch (@LyndenGooch) July 24, 2020