SID Nelson wants to bulk up ahead of the Lions’ Sky Bet League One campaign.
The 19-year-old centre-back made his debut for Millwall last December and hopes to make himself an invaluable part of Neil Harris’ side as they chase an immediate return to the Championship.
Nelson started in nine of Harris’ 10 games in charge last season and was part of a defence that kept three clean sheets.
He anticipates facing a different type of opponent next season, however, and doesn’t want to give away any advantage if he is to become a fixture in the Lions’ back four.
Nelson missed the club’s pre-season training camp in Portugal last summer but knows the work done there this year will lay an important foundation for the season ahead.
“I want to improve my upper-body strength,” Nelson admitted. “We were given off-season programmes to do some work so I’ve been doing that.
“Next season I think there’s going to be a lot more balls played directly up front with the strikers in League One being a bit more rough and ready.”
And after the provisional League One fixture schedule was released this morning, Nelson is counting down the days to the first game away to Shrewsbury Town on August 8.
“I can’t wait to get back into it,” he said. “This is my boyhood club. Obviously Chopper has shown faith in the young players and that’s great for confidence.”
*Pick up a copy of Southwark News tomorrow for a longer feature with Sid.