Season › 2013-14 › News Kone to shape up over the summer Lyndon Lloyd , 4 June, 0comments | Jump to most recent Arouna Koné says that he hopes to hit the ground running when Everton's squad returns for pre-season next month and has a fitness-building programme mapped out at Finch Farm and the Belgian rehabilitation centre where he has spent time recovering from the knee surgery that may have saved his career but which also sidelined him for the majority of last season. The 30 year-old arrived at Goodison last summer as one of Roberto Martinez's first signings in a £6m deal from Wigan Athletic but struggled through a stop-start pre-season before succumbing to a serious knee injury in September. Now the Ivorian striker is hoping to put that frustration behind him by focusing on his preparations for the 2014-15 campaign. “The most important thing is for me to be in the best possible shape I can be for the start of next season," Kone told evertontv. “That is why I am not going on holiday, I am staying in Europe to work hard over the summer period, so I can hit the ground running when pre-season starts in July. “I spent the first three months of my rehab in Belgium and the manager was in constant contact. His advice and the confidence he has shown me has really helped me through this period. “The plan is to go back to Belgium, to the rehab centre where I have been working, then I will come back to Finch Farm for a fitness check. Then I will go back to Belgium but I will be back before the rest of the team to start pre-season.” Koné is one of only two recognised strikers on Everton's books at the moment but he is no doubt aware of Martinez's desire to bring in striking reinforcements to replace Romelu Lukaku if he can't bring the Belgian striker back to Goodison after the World Cup. He is looking forward to being part of the team again, however after a painful first year with the club. “It is painful to sit in the stands and watch," he concluded. "I would often say to myself that the style of play I was watching would suit me down to the ground.” About these ads © ToffeeWeb