Stoke new boy Eidur Gudjohnsen has admitted he needs to regain his match fitness before he can play for his new club.
The Icelandic striker, who has previous experience in England with Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, has admitted that missing the pre-season has compromised his fitness.
Gudjohnsen revealed he cannot yet train with his new team-mates but hopes to be ready for action soon.
"I just need football, to play games and get as many minutes under my belt as quickly as possible," the 31-year-old told the BBC.
"You can only do so much on your own. I have done a lot of individual training so I don't just walk in the door completely out of shape.
"It's more just getting into the day to day football training again which I need and playing games to reach my best level again."
Boss Tony Pulis revealed Gudjohnsen would have a "mini pre-season" during the international break and hopes to have the striker available for the Potters' next fixture, a home tie against Aston Villa on September 13.
Pulis said: "He'll do a mini pre-season and we hope he'll be close when we play again."