Town defender Darnell Furlong says he is enjoying the process of taking on new ideas from boss Gary O’Neil ahead of the Blues’ return to the Premier League.

O’Neil, who took over from successful predecessor Kieran McKenna in June, has three more friendlies to fine-tune the details ahead of the season opener against Sunderland later this month.

Furlong joined Town from West Bromwich Albion late in the summer transfer window last season, so is currently in the midst of his first pre-season in Suffolk as he prepares for his first top-flight campaign in five years.

The Blues right-back says Saturday’s victory over Wycombe Wanderers, which followed an earlier defeat to fellow League One side Oxford United, showed some signs of what an O’Neil side might look like for the season ahead.

“I think slowly, yeah,” he said. “I think we’re still on the way and we’re not quite there yet, but we’re still working and no-one’s going to be there.

“We’ve still got three weeks until the first game, so there’s still a lot of time in pre-season to nail down things and work on ideas. The squad’s in a great place.

“It’s just new. It happens in your career, managers change, new people come in and people leave. It’s just about taking on board the new ideas and getting to work.

“It’s just a slightly different role and different ideas. I’m just trying to implement what the manager wants us to do and move on.

“Him and the strength and conditioning guys have been doing a great job putting us through our paces.”

Last season’s success marked the third time in four seasons that the Blues achieved promotion, with former boss McKenna at the forefront of each of those campaigns.

Furlong believes it will be important for O’Neil to hit the ground running in the Premier League.

“Yeah, of course. We had great leadership before and we’re learning the new leadership now. It’s been brilliant so far, and we’re looking forward to what’s to come.

“There’s similarities and there’s new and different things. The bulk of it is just getting fit and then taking on his ideas.

“There’s nothing really to pinpoint. We had a great season last year and have a great squad already, so there’s things that he’ll want us to continue to do and be better at. But then there’s new ideas as well which we’re trying to learn over pre-season.”

In the preparation so far, which also included friendlies against Spanish duo FC Cartagena and CA Osasuna, Town have lined up with a back four as has become common in recent seasons.

With talk of a potential switch to a back three, Furlong was asked whether he would be able to play on the right side of central defence if required.

He said: “I can do. Maybe I didn’t play there because we were playing a back four, but if you looked at the shape that we played, quite often I was in and around that area. It’s definitely something I can do and the squad is very adaptable.”

Among the new signings to see regular pre-season minutes is Brazilian striker Emersonn, who joined the Blues from Toulouse for a club record fee earlier this summer.

“Really nice to have him involved,” Furlong said. “The same for the other lads. It’s nice to have them in the group, they’re only making us a lot stronger which is brilliant. Some of them are a little bit behind us fitness-wise, but we’re looking forward to having them up to full speed.

“It’s a great group of players that will welcome players in. The staff that are with us day-to-day that people don’t really hear about at the training ground are a great bunch of people as well. It’s a really nice environment to step into.”

Also among the new recruits is goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen, who is set to become the Premier League’s tallest ever player when the 6ft 9in shot-stopper makes his debut.

On whether he has played with anyone as tall in his career, Furlong said: “I don’t think so, no. He’s a giant, to be fair. He’s a lovely guy, I’ve met him and said hello to him.

“He’s another one that we’re looking forward to having up to speed.”

On Japan international Daizen Maeda, he added: “Really exciting, an exciting player, high energy, works really hard and slotting into the group well.”

Photo: TWTD