It may be the close season, but Flo Cuvelier won’t be indulging in any junk food this summer.
The 24-year-old Belgian has been given a strict dietary regime by manager Jon Whitney in a bid to maintain good health and fitness.
Gone are the days when footballers would return to training overweight – and Cuvelier says staying disciplined over the summer is important in order to hit the ground running in pre-season.
“I’ve followed a very strict diet and I’ve felt the benefit from it,” said Cuvelier.
“I feel really healthy in my body and I’ve followed the programme the gaffer asked us to do.
“When the break comes, you don’t exercise as much as you usually do, so that’s why I’ve been strict with myself – no McDonald’s or KFC – it’s a strict diet.
“Physically I feel good and I’m hoping to get a good pre-season under my belt and then a successful season.”
The talented central midfielder has enjoyed his summer break but is already raring to go for the new 2017/18 campaign.
“It’s weird because when the season finishes, you’ve got ten months of work in your legs and your body, so you’re happy that it’s finished so your body can recover,” he added.
“I went back to Belgium and spent some time with my family, which is always nice because in the season it doesn’t happen very often.
“But after a few weeks of being off, you can’t help but have this sensation of wanting to go back and play football because you miss it.
“I’ve enjoyed my break but I’m very much looking forward to the season now.”
Cuvelier had a stop-start 2016/17 season, being restricted to 23 appearances due to calf and ankle injuries, as well as an ear infection.
But the ex-Stoke man is confident that his injury problems are now behind him.
“I’ve had my injuries but the gaffer last year really helped me,” Cuvelier commented.
“I still had a couple of niggles but I played a lot more games than I did before and I’m sure this year I’ll play even more than I did last year.
“I had a good run in the team last season and that gave me a lot of confidence.
“It showed me that I can still be the player I was a couple of years ago, and even better because I’ve played more games and got more experience.”