Without a club, Josh Wright has trained alone during pre-season (pic: Jake Smith)

Most players know that pre-season is tough. But the majority are consoled by the fact that they're all in it together.

The support and camaraderie of team-mates helps individuals through the gruelling six week process, as does the structured training regime laid out by the manager and team of coaches.

However for players without clubs, the road to regaining full fitness is far more difficult. A million miles away from the glitz and glamour of Premier League facilities, free agent Josh Wright trains alone without a group of team-mates or coaches to help him through it.

"It's mentally tough. You really have to be strong and show that desire to wake up every morning, get out and train hard," Wright told Sky Sports.

Wright is just one of many unattached players presently training alone in a bid to make sure they're primed to seize the opportunity of a new deal.

I'm crawling out of the gym and dripping with sweat, but I feel good for it. I know then, after doing it, that I am one step closer to being that bit more ready for the new season and, hopefully, signing that contract. Josh Wright

The midfielder, who decided against renewing his stay at Leyton Orient at the end of last season, has since become a training nomad, using his local gym and parks as the basis for his own form of pre-season.

It's hardly ideal for a professional footballer but Wright is determined to make the most of the off-season as he mulls over the next move in his career.

"I wake up every morning and I am out training. A lot of the time I go out in the afternoon and sometimes in the evening. I am doing at least one session a day, but I don’t want to fall behind any of the other boys with clubs because come August 8 I want to be up to speed with them from the get go," he added.

"If you want to stay in the game, you have to keep yourself fit and strong. If you don't do it, you may fall behind, be forgotten and the opportunity to sign for another club may not come again. But I want it more than ever.

"Being out of contract and seeing the boys going back to pre-season training, whether on the TV or internet, makes me want it even more. So when I am doing this training, whether on the treadmill or running in the park, I am talking to myself about how badly I want this. That is something that helps me get through it."

Wright opted not to renew his stay at Leyton Orient

The solitary nature of Wright's pre-season training would certainly test any professional footballer given the need for strong motivation, determination and single-minded focus to survive the harsh reality of life without a club.

"It can be lonely, especially when you wake up every morning knowing that training sessions will all be arranged and set out for the boys back at their clubs," he said.

"I am used to training as part of a collective unit of around 25 other fellas every single day throughout the season. So, it is strange and certainly tough when doing it all on your own.

"But I know I have to be mentally strong. Psychology is such a big part of the game now and I have to have that mental strength to get to where I want to be.

"I am, of course, not doing as much work with the ball as players back at their clubs, both tactically and technically. But I'm speaking to boys, who are contracted at clubs at the moment, asking them what kind of runs they're doing and I am trying to replicate them.

Wright has previously played in the Championship with Millwall

"I'm crawling out of the gym and dripping with sweat but I feel good for it. I know then, after doing it, that I am one step closer to being that bit more ready for the new season and, hopefully, signing that contract."

Wright began his professional career with Charlton Athletic in 2007, with then-manager Alan Pardew spotting his potential in a talented group of academy prospects which also included current Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter.

Pardew fast-tracked Wright into first-team training at the age of 16. Subsequent loan spells with Barnet, Brentford and Gillingham helped Wright earn international honours with England, representing his country at U-17, U-18 and U-19 level.

But following spells with Scunthorpe United, Millwall and most recently Orient, the importance of the next move in his career is not lost upon the 25-year-old.

Talks are already well underway between Wright and a host of interested clubs, including those from the Championship as well as League One.

"It's a massive decision. People say to me you’re still young and still have time on your side but I'm not silly, I know how quickly football seasons go," said Wright, who is assisted in all contract negotiations by his father, Mark, who also acts as his agent.

Wright tells Sky Sports he wants to join an ambitious club (pic: Jake Smith)

"I have to sign for the right club, one that has the ambition to go where I want to get to. This move could be the big leap to achieving what I want to achieve.

"Football is my life. It's my job and it’s all I want to do. Of course, I am always interested every time the phone rings to see who it is and what the situation is. But I am not silly and know I can't rush it."

However, Wright, whose family were made famous by their involvement in reality TV show The Only Way is Essex, remains conscious of the way he is perceived by some people within the game.

Despite never entertaining the possibility of joining his family in the show, Wright feels the link has proved troublesome and provided an opportunity for others to pre-judge him.

"If I am brutally honest, I am fed up and sick of people portraying me in the wrong way. It frustrates the life out of me and my family. I am sick of it and that's why it makes me want to prove those people wrong that bit more," Wright said.

"I will not settle for where I am now or where I have been, I want to go to the next level. I have seen players in the game that have reached a level that I never thought they could achieve, so I will strive every day of my life to do the same."