He told the club website: "I really didn't get a proper pre-season last year because I was out of favour at Sheffield United and it had huge repercussions for me.
"That won't be the case this time around - we're a week into pre-season and things are going really well.
"I'm hoping this will be a big season for me. We're all in the same boat with the new manager - we all want to impress him and get the nod for the first game of the season against Bradford."