England stars left 'dripping with sweat' in unusual training drill for World Cup

The squad were put through an exhausting, and sweaty, training drill to prepare for the next summer's . In the balmy climes of Girona, rather than at England's usual St George's Park training base, the team tackled the warmth by pedalling furiously on spin bikes in heated tents in conditions mimicking those of a sweltering sauna.

Returning forward Ivan Toney, now used to the scorching Saudi Arabian weather due to his stint with Al-Ahli, was left "dripping with sweat" after the sessions and explained: "You're on a bike. You see how far you can get, and it's to see how you manage throughout and how you cope with the conditions.

"You're literally dripping with sweat and everyone's tired. It was up there (with the Saudi Arabia heat). Yeah, I'll tell you that it was up there.

"It was tough. I don't know, who won, not me, we were in different groups. I can't remember. I was that tired. I wasn't looking around, just concentrating on yourself. That's what it was. Everyone's exhausted."

Toney says he never feared moving to Saudi Arabia would dampen his England prospects, with the 29-year-old having been called up for the first time since his switch to the Middle East in Thomas Tuchel's second squad. Toney was reassured by the England head coach in March that his omission from the first squad had nothing to do with playing in the Saudi Pro League.

Toney said: "It's always tough missing out on a squad, but I think that's part of the game. You have to be strong, you have to stick at it and keep doing what you do best and I managed to do that and I managed to get the recall, which was a nice feeling."

When queried at their training base in Girona about concerns his move to Saudi Arabia could hinder his chances with England, his reply was a resolute "No. You see with me I think if you're just doing the right thing, playing football, playing well and scoring goals - a striker's job, that's what you're in a team to do - it doesn't matter where you play in the world, I feel like you should still get the chance.

"I think it's been proven me being back here and being back amongst the boys. It feels good to see the faces again and it feels good to get stuck in.

I feel like I'm in good form. As you see, I'm here, I'm still scoring goals. I have a lot to give. All the time I want to improve, become a better player and try and help others around me. So, hopefully I can keep doing that and be in the mix for the World Cup."