Pre-season training might not be the footballer's favourite time of year, but striker Kevin Doyle admits it's a "pleasure" to be back and looking forward to the new season.

A fortnight into the return to Compton, Doyle has also shrugged off summer speculation about his future by re-iterating just how happy he is at Molineux.

"Nothing has changed (since last season), I am very happy here," he said.

"It doesn't mean you are not ambitious and want to play at the highest level, but I am happy here and have enjoyed every minute of it since I've come.

"It is a pleasure to play for Wolves. All of the players - we all get on so well together  and with the manager and everyone.

"It is tough doing this pre-season, but it is still enjoyable to come in and see everyone."

The summer speculation even involved Republic of Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni being asked about Doyle during the end-of-season friendlies.

Trapattoni's response that he could certainly thrive in one of the Barclays Premier League's top clubs was good for Doyle to hear, but certainly not head-turning.

The striker admitted:  "I am sure he was trying to give me a bit of confidence."

"He praises me, he picks me and that is great for me.

"I am delighted, he's always been good to me ever since he took the job.

"He has picked me whenever I have been fit and has played me so I don't suppose he was ever going to say anything else, is he?

"It would be unusual for a manager to say the opposite. It's nice to hear, but I don't get too carried away with it."

And Trapattoni's words just followed on from those of Wolves boss Mick McCarthy, who was delighted with his striker's first season at Molineux.

Doyle's performances meant he was continually the subject of pre and post-match press conferences for Mick, which sometimes became slightly "embarrassing" for the joint record signing.

"I am embarrassed by even having to answer questions about whether I was embarrassed, to be honest," he says.

"You get built up sometimes - but it is better than the other way around.

"I find you get used to things like that over your career. You take everything with a pinch of salt, I realise that.

"I've had good spells and bad spells.

"You have to keep worrying about yourself and make sure that you are right and in as much form as possible, to try and keep people saying nice things about you.

 "If I'd have been injured and someone else would have come in, then I still think we'd have stayed up. I've no doubts about that.

"I think the formation we played probably highlighted my role in the team just because I was up front on my own.

"People probably noticed that more than other lads who were doing just as much and didn't get picked out."

Wolves leave for a mini-tour of Doyle's home country on Wednesday - with Saturday's friendly with Bohemians providing their first pre-season fixture.

But the striker admits the location probably means it won't be the sort of family and friends gathering experienced when the team travelled to Wexford last November.

"I probably won't see much of the family because we will be in Dublin, two hours from where I'm from," he said.

"We might as well be in Japan!

"But playing in Dublin against Bohemians, I know the area very well from playing in Ireland for three or four seasons, so it will be nice to be in my own country training for a few days.

"But whether we are running over there, or running over here - it doesn't make it any easier!"