The Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand says he is keen to throw himself back into pre-season training to help put memories of Manchester City's title win behind him.
Sir Alex Ferguson's side were pipped to the Premier League title in the closing seconds of the campaign in May when Sergio Agüero scored City's winner in stoppage time against QPR to take the championship on goal difference.
But now the squad have returned to Carrington for pre-season training Ferdinand is keen to look at what lies ahead.
"The way the season ended the quicker and sooner we can get back into it the better," said the 33-year-old, whose summer anguish was compounded when he was left out of England's Euro 2012 squad.
"It's the longest holiday I've had. It's been five or six weeks and I'm 100% ready to put everything back into football now.
"But when you can see the fixtures and start planning the season and working things out in your head you start champing at the bit to start training because the games come thick and fast."
Ferdinand believes pre-season has actually become less painful for him as the years have passed but admits he has done extra work during his break to ensure he can still match the pace of the younger squad members.
"Scientifically it has got easier so they don't try to kill you on the first day," he told Manchester United's Red Voices podcast.
"You used to come limping in the first week because you had muscles you never knew you had aching but now it is more relaxed and we are eased into it – it is better for me.
"I have always done something [before pre-season] and I've always done three or four sessions but this time I've done about 10 different runs by myself.
"I am getting to the latter stages of my career so I need to come back as fit as I can to keep up with the younger guys."