Newcastle United remain in talks with Nottingham Forest to sign Anthony Elanga and the Sweden international has been working hard to ensure he can hit the ground running this season
Anthony Elanga
Anthony Elanga(Image: Instagram)
Anthony Elanga is ensuring he remains in the 'best shape' as Newcastle United push to sign the Nottingham Forest star.
Elanga has flown out to Portugal for a mini boot camp - just a few days after Newcastle launched an improved bid worth £55m for the rapid forward.
As talks continue between the two clubs, Elanga is being put through his paces on the track by fitness coach Tom Joyce while sports rehab therapist Simon O'Brien is also on site in the Algarve.
Elanga's campaign only finished last month - hence why the forward is not returning to Nottingham Forest's training ground for the start of pre-season today - but the 23-year-old is already putting the work in ahead of another big year.
That won't necessarily come as a surprise to Nottingham Forest or, indeed, Newcastle given that Elanga has long worked with Joyce and O'Brien in his spare time.
In fact, the Sweden international spends two-and-a-half hours in the purpose-built recovery room in his home after games - regardless of the kick-off time.
No wonder Elanga has only missed two league matches since joining Nottingham Forest a couple of years ago.
"I always say the best investment you can do is yourself and your body," he told the BBC a few months ago. "Because it's your body, yourself, that's going to get you to where you want to go.
"The only person that is going to stop you is yourself so why not invest in yourself and maximise everything you can do to try and make sure you're in the best shape, best form, always fit, always available.
"Availability is the best ability. It's about making sure you're available for the team and making sure you're strong and sharp.
"There are a lot of games in the Premier League. It's intense. If you want to make it to the Champions League, there are going to be even more games."
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