Per Mertesacker believes he will reap the benefits of a first full pre-season since 2013.
The defender missed a portion of Arsenal’s preparations last year after helping Germany win the World Cup.
As a result, the club’s vice-captain returned to training in early August and made his first appearance of the campaign less than weeks two weeks later.
"I feel much better than last season but first of all we need to prepare properly"
“I think we had 10 days before we played our first game, away at Everton,” Mertesacker told Arsenal Player. “The season had already started with the play-off games against Besiktas.
“This year it’s totally different and I think that is very beneficial for myself, for my fitness, to get a few tests and a few games under my belt before the season starts. I feel much better than last season but first of all we need to prepare properly.
“We are just at the start of pre-season so let’s get some good tests and good training sessions as well.”
Mertesacker trained twice on Tuesday and says it will take time to acclimatise to the humid Singapore weather.
“It’s different to those conditions in London but we are here for one week to prepare, to get some good tests,” he added. “We get on with that and we’re trying to get the best out of it.
“I had a five-week break so it takes a bit [of time], especially under those conditions, to get yourself going and into a certain rhythm.
“I think it’s good for me to get a couple of weeks where we can test ourselves in training and have a very good test here.”
Arsene Wenger and Per Mertesacker
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