Kenny Jackett: Wolves need to work on 'rusty' football

Kenny Jackett will today start to hone Wolves' game after admitting their football is "rusty" – as he ruled out using the 'bomb squad' in pre-season.

Wolves players have been back in pre-season training for 12 days with three sessions a day.

They kick off their warm-up programme with their first friendly at Cheltenham on Friday.

Head coach Jackett said: "The players have come back fit to a degree, but some of their football is rusty and that's what we need to work on now.

"You work over to make sure we're as fit as we possibly can be.

"But a lot of the players have come back where they left off in terms of their organisation - certainly a lot different to what it was this time last year."

Jackett insists the rustiness is expected at this stage of their preparations.

"It is and if you're doing a high amount of sessions you probably don't feel as sharp as you want to be either," he said.

"That's a part of this particular period.

"I think the games will be in these type of conditions on perfect pitches with generally a hot temperature.

"So getting used to it in training is a good thing.

"We're fine and looking forward to the games on Friday at Cheltenham, and Monday and Wednesday in Ireland.

"We're looking forward to getting everybody some match practice and trying to form and shape the team to be ready for Norwich.

"Everybody's fine. A base fitness is what we've been after in this period."

Jackett added: "If we're doing 11 versus 11 things, quite naturally things fall into place in terms of our pattern and what we're after.

"The personnel has changed but there is only two players different from last season (Tommy Rowe and Rajiv Van La Parra), and Kortney Hause has been training with us."

Meanwhile, Jackett has ruled out using the 'bomb squad' in pre-season friendlies.

Kevin Doyle and Stephen Ward return to training today after being extra time off for internationals.

Roger Johnson, Jamie O'Hara, Tongo Doumbia, Razak Boukari and George Elokobi are training separately to the first-team squad and Under-21s with Steve Hodge.

Asked if they will play first team friendlies, Jackett said: "I very much doubt that.

"Up to now they haven't been in my plans, I don't see that changing and I'd think it very unlikely they'd play first team friendlies.

"But we'll make sure they play games."