Considering the industrious nature of his approach to football, it's somewhat surprising to hear Georginio Wijnaldum say he doesn't actually like running.

Speaking on his first day back in training, the Dutchman was unequivocal about his dislike for the physical exertion required in pre-season.

But, as he proved so often last term, Wijnaldum is more than willing to put the work in for the greater good.

"I'm happy to be back but I hate pre-season because it's a lot of running!" he told Liverpoolfc.com.

"It's really hard and you don't enjoy it every time because you want to play with the ball but you have pre-season to get fit and that's what you have to do."

Wijnaldum quickly won fans over in his first year at Anfield thanks to his tireless performances in the centre of the park.

For that reason, his first priority this summer was to make the most of the recuperation time afforded to him before resuming his personal training programme.

"For me, it was really important to rest [over the summer] because I played a lot of games last season and I had a few issues with my body," he explained.

"What I did at first was relaxing and rest but at the end of my vacation I did some running and the programme they gave me."

The work the 26-year-old has put in since his holiday came to an end is part of his bid to improve upon what was an excellent debut season at Anfield.

But, while he hopes to score more regularly and generally improve upon his contribution, his personal aims won't be to the detriment of the collective.

He added: "I had a good debut season but, of course, I want to do better. 

"It's good if we do better as a team, because if we do it's easier for a player to develop. That must be the first priority, to develop as a team, and individuals will develop also.

"Last season, I scored six [goals], and they were six important goals, so that was also good. 

"If I can help the team with my goals, if it's two, three, four or six like last season, I will be happy. 

"But the most important thing is that we win games and if I can help the team by scoring goals, it'll make me happy. We will see."

Wijnaldum is particularly excited by the possibility of competing in the Champions League, with the Reds set to contest a two-legged qualifier for a place in the competition later this summer.

He said: "You look forward to playing in the highest competition - I think, in the world - and you can see where you stand as a team, how good you are.

"I'm really excited. It's the highest competition, so you want to see how far you are in your development and how good you are as a team because you play against the best and the biggest teams in Europe."