Gillingham players return this week for the start of pre-season – and the manager admits he’s missed them.

Unlike last summer, the Gills will only have a few new faces in the changing room, but they are players that manager Neil Harris can’t wait to integrate with a squad that’s already looking the part ahead of a new League 2 season.

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“I have started to miss them,” admitted the Gills boss, who is feeling more relaxed than he was 12 months ago, helped by an experienced recruitment department and a wealthy owner.

“I’m looking forward to seeing them again.

“With Jonny (Williams) and Max (Clark) coming in there is that sense of freshness, fresh faces, fresh quality into the changing room.

“We have lost some big personalities from that changing room, some leadership, no Alex MacDonald (who has joined League 1 Stevenage) in the changing room. It’s important we try and make up for that and replace it in different ways. Max, and Jonny in particular, bring that character.”

Irish defender Conor Masterson also returns as a fully-fledged Gills player - having put pen to paper on a permanent deal in mid-May.

Harris said: “Conor’s an unbelievable character, a great lad and popular in the change room, the boys will be buzzing that he stayed but he won't be a new face walking in. I think it went down very well on their WhatsApp group when he stayed!”

The players report back tomorrow (Wednesday) for testing. The squad will have 10 days of training before kicking off their pre-season schedule away at Dover next Saturday (July 8).

Midfielder Tim Dieng is expected to be reporting back fully fit after missing the final few games of the last campaign with a minor injury.

Harris said: “It just wasn't worth the risk. He came in the week after the season and was absolutely (fine and got) signed off.”

Fellow midfielder Shaun Williams had a minor operation on his knee and is expected to train but there will be some caution early on with the experienced campaigner.

“He will be fine,” the manager said of the 36-year-old. “He’ll be back training on day one, follows the protocol that we want him to follow and should be fit for the first game of the season.

“What his involvement is in match minutes early on (of pre-season) is one that we will have to just see as we go but at his age, with his experience, Shaun Williams doesn't need to be in every training session over pre-season, that's for sure, and he certainly won't be in every running session.”