Caley Thistle midfielder Greg Tansey says the Inverness players are determined to ensure former club captain Richie Foran enjoys a successful step up to management.
Foran was appointed as John Hughes’ successor in May, with the Irishman handed a four-year contract as manager, while opting to retire from playing.
Tansey is one of the most-seasoned campaigners in the Inverness squad, having returned for a second spell with the Highlanders in January 2014 after an 18-month stint with Stevenage.
The 27-year-old holds Foran in high regard from his time playing alongside him and wants to do all he can to help his former team-mate succeed.
Tansey said: “It has been a seamless transition. Everyone in the squad had a lot of respect for him when he was a player and now he is the manager, it’s even more so.
“Everyone just wants to do well for him. He has the full backing of the players.
“The fact Richie is in charge pushes us on that bit more.”
Caley Jags begin competitive action with a Betfred Cup tie against League 2 side Cowdenbeath on Saturday and Tansey is confident his fitness preparation will stand him in good stead for the upcoming campaign.
He added: “We are starting to feel close to match fit now. We have all managed over the past week or so to get minutes under the belt to prepare for Saturday.
“I thought we’d be more tired than we were given the running we’ve been doing, so that’s a good sign that the fitness work is paying off.
“Last week we had double sessions most days and we’ve been getting a lot of work in but we’ve also had a good rest and the lads are all back fresh and ready to go.
“We do our own things in the summer to keep ourselves fit so we hit the ground running.
“The lads are looking strong and fresh ahead of the business starting on Saturday.”
Inverness reached the final of the competition in 2014 but lost on penalties against Aberdeen at Parkhead.
Tansey wants to take momentum into his side’s Premiership opener against Partick Thistle on August 6 by excelling in the newly-introduced group section of the cup and he added: “We’ve gone close in the League Cup before. We really want to do well in the cup competitions this season as well as in the league.
“With the cup first up, all the lads are raring to go. Whoever is selected will be determined to keep their place to get points on the board.”