Tyias Browning insists he will work through the summer as he bids to reach peak fitness to stake his claim for the Blues' first team.
The Liverpool-born defender endured a frustrating 12 months after sustaining a serious knee injury in December 2015 but, having penned a new two-and-a-half year contract extension in January, he spent the second half of the 2016/17 campaign on loan at Preston North End.
After an impressive start with the Championship outfit, Browning suffered a minor setback before returning for the final game of the season to make his eighth outing with the Lilywhites.