CHERRIES star Dominic Solanke will set crosshairs on the Premier League after a gruelling pre-season, which he says started with "one of the hardest first weeks I’ve ever had!”

The striker, who netted 15 and assisted 11 in the Championship last term, has been part of the camp who have travelled to Marbella for warm-weather training.

The 23-year-old former Liverpool and Chelsea prospect has told how new manager Scott Parker has been true to his word and put the Cherries side through their paces.

Preparations have begun ahead of the season’s curtain-raiser at Vitality Stadium on July 31, with Solanke confident they’ll reap the benefits of the hard work put in now.

He told the club website: “It was one of the hardest first weeks of pre-season I’ve ever had! It’s been tough but I think we will all be better for it.

“We got straight down to business on the first day and worked really hard. We all did it together and helped each other along.

“You expect to be worked hard. We are all here because we have worked hard to get here and none of us are new to it.

“Pre-season is probably the most unenjoyable part of being a footballer but it’s something that has to be done.”

Cherries missed out on Premier League football this season after falling at the play-off semi-final hurdle against Brentford, back in May.

But with the new appointment of Parker, who managed a top-flight Fulham side as they attempted to battle relegation last season, Cherries heads are defiant in targeting the same goal again.

Parker is the fourth Cherries boss since Solanke was signed under Eddie Howe in January 2019, having also played under Jason Tindall and Jonathan Woodgate.

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The 6ft 2in Reading-born forward began to justify his initial £17.5million price tag with goal contributions last season but insists the learning only continues, adding: “It (pre-season) is also one of the most important periods as well.

“It’s times like this that we can build and learn. It gives us time to learn the new gaffer’s ways and for him to learn about us as well.

“Him and the staff he brought are all really focused and determined to get the best out of us and I think that’s what we need. We’ve got a lot of quality in the group and they will definitely bring out the best in us.

“We know the gaffer and he will know us. It’s new faces but it’s the same goal. The main goal is to get back to the Premier League and that’s what we’re all aiming for.”