A number of football clubs have partially reopened their training grounds this week as tentative plans are made for a Premier League restart.
Arsenal, West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion all welcomed players back on Monday, with Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield United following suit yesterday.
More teams are expected to do likewise over the coming days as the Premier League and the UK government continue to work in tandem to get the top tier of English football back up and running.
A restart in the week beginning June 8 has been widely tipped as the target for a resumption, with clubs back in training by May 18.
All games are expected to be held behind closed doors, with a limited number of neutral venues potentially being used – although that is only a proposal at this stage.
The Premier League and its 20 teams will meet on their next video conference this Friday to further flesh out the details.
UEFA have instructed their associate members to have a plan in place by May 25 so, whatever happens, we will at least soon have some semblance of an idea about how the 2019/20 campaign will end.
As ever, any ball being kicked will depend on the success of the national and international fight against coronavirus.
No football will take place without the government’s say-so, with the next review of lockdown procedures scheduled to take place on May 7.
Arsenal were the first Premier League club to announce that they would allow their squad members to return to training, a full 47 days after their London Colney complex was shut.
No more than five of the Gunners’ players were allowed in the training ground at any one time, with each arriving and departing in their kit and assigned their own individual pitch to use.
The situation at Brighton is similar while West Ham’s restrictions are even more severe, with a one in, one out policy adopted at Rush Green.
Harry Kane was among the Fantasy assets pictured arriving at Tottenham Hotspur’s training base on Tuesday, meanwhile, with no more than one Spurs player per pitch permitted.
Sheffield United became the latest top-flight team to allow limited access to their training facilities, again opening their doors for individual sessions.
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Leonardo Campana had previously hinted that he and his fellow teammates had been working on their fitness “one at a time” at the club’s training ground.
3 years, 12 months ago
Project Too Soon