Doncaster Rovers striker Joe Dodoo says he is in ‘great shape and ready to go’ after making his first league start of the season.

The 26-year-old former Leicester academy player signed for Doncaster on a two-year deal earlier this month, and says his pre-season preparations mean he is ready to hit the ground running.

“I started my pre-season quite early at the end of May,” he said via the Doncaster Free Press

“For maybe four months I was training six days a week so that I was in great shape and ready to go.

“I did the same thing at Wigan last year,” Dodoo added.

“When I went to Wigan I was straight in, just like here, so I've got experience in terms of coming into a club and being put straight into the starting eleven and having to play a lot of games quickly.”

Elaborating on his pre-season preparations, Dodoo said he had been training with fellow professionals who were also without a club to simulate a training ground environment.

“I have friends who are professional footballers as well and were not signed up yet so we trained as a group to get more of a training ground feel, just without the numbers,” he said.

“I did that for about three months, and I always knew I was going to be ready when the time came," Dodoo declared.

The Verdict

Doncaster manager Richie Wellens will be hoping Joe Dodoo’s pre-season preparations pay off and he can begin to find the back of the net given the current striker situation Rovers find themselves in.

Watford loanee Tiago Cukur has made a slow start to life in league One, whilst Fejiri Okenabirhie is still out with an injury picked up in pre-season. Omar Bogle meanwhile, has been told he is not in Richie Wellens’ plans.

Doncaster currently sit bottom of League One, having scored just two goals so far this season, the joint fewest in the division.