City Squad Return Refreshed From The Gulf

- Leicester City squad returned to the UK on Wednesday after stay in Dubai 

- Break in the schedule offered a chance for warm weather training and team bonding 

- Interim Manager Craig Shakespeare says time spent together has been good for morale 

The Leicester City squad returned to the UK on Wednesday, after three days of warm weather training in Dubai. 

On the back of successive Premier League wins over Liverpool and Hull City, the Club put a 10-day break in the fixture schedule to good use by getting the First Team squad together for a trip to the Gulf. 

Extended involvement in Europe and the Emirates FA Cup have meant such opportunities have been limited for the Foxes this season, but a trip planned for some time finally came to fruition ahead of next Tuesday's UEFA Champions League last 16 second leg against Sevilla. 

The opportunity to lighten the workload - a tried and tested strategy during intense periods that has served City well in recent seasons - has been a welcome one following the exertions of recent weeks, but gym-based fitness and recovery sessions have kept the players in tune during the trip's two full days. 

In addition, the players - joined by the Club's owners, the Srivaddhanaprabha family - had the chance to take in some of the local environment, visiting the At The Top observatory at the Burj Khalifa - the world's tallest building - on Monday evening before enjoying a team dinner at a nearby restaurant. 

"We wanted to be able to give the players some down time together, as a group, but it was important to balance that with some work to recover from recent games and to prepare for the tests ahead. 

"The spirit within this group has always been strong and a few days away together has certainly helped build on that, especially for some of the newer players in the group.” 

The squad will resume full training in Leicester on Thursday and Friday as preparations step up for Tuesday's visit of Sevilla, where the Foxes will be aiming to overturn a 2-1 first leg deficit and progress to the UEFA Champions League quarter finals. 

Premier League action resumes a week on Saturday, when City make their first ever trip to the London Stadium to play West Ham United on 18 March.