Jay Emmanuel-Thomas insists he is in the best shape in more than a year following his move to Aberdeen.
The former Livingston striker believes he is in peak physical shape for his new challenge at the Dons and is eager to show what he can do at his new club.
He said: “When I went into Livingston, I had been out of the game for 15 months for various reasons, Covid related stuff.
“It took me some time to get fit. I went in and started playing but it takes time to get into top condition. Coming towards the end of the season I was getting there.
“I worked hard over the summer. I had a training camp just before I came up. The first week we came back we did a lot of conditioning work and it has benefited me a lot.
“I am in a much better place physically than when I first went into Livingston.”
The man known as JET is so determined to make a flying start to his Aberdeen career that he has been putting in the miles while wearing a sweat suit prior to joining his team-mates for pre-season training.
He has kept his followers up to date with his progress during the close season on social media.
Morning Run Complete @caithomas7 @FreeTrain1 pic.twitter.com/AYzXEHXTYh
— JET ✈️ (@OfficialJET10) May 29, 2021
Emmanuel-Thomas said: “I tend to wear a sweat suit when I am on holiday. It is all about a conditioned run, not too fast or too slow, just to keep myself ticking over. It is just to keep myself in the best condition.”
A new striking partnership at Pittodrie
Emmanuel-Thomas is one of two new forwards at Pittodrie with American striker Christian Ramirez also on his way to Aberdeen once a work permit is in place.
He believes his qualities will complement his new team-mate Ramirez.
The Dons striker said: “It is always good to have a partner.
“I knew I was the only striker but it is good to have another striker who likes to get involved.
“I like to drop a bit deeper and to take players on and I can do that if there is another focal point in the team, which allows me to get more involved in the game.
“I played against Aberdeen three times last season and watched numerous games.
“You also watch clips of previous games before you play them.
“With the amount of chances created last season, for me personally, I felt like I would score a lot of goals here due to the style of play and the chances created.”