All systems go for league start insists Utd boss

DU N DE E Un ited boss Robbie Neilson has backed t he P re m ie rsh ip’s big kick-off plan.

The Scottish Government has greenlit a phased return to training for top-flight clubs from June 11, with a view to starting the 2020/21 season behind closed doors on the weekend of August 1 and 2.

Training will be undertaken in line with the government’s social distancing recommendations, backed by a strict Covid-19 testing programme.

Neilson reckons the Tangerines – and their Premiership rivals – will be ready to go.

But he fears the Betfred Cup will not start on time, given the physical demands on top-flight players to prepare for the league campaign.

“I think if everything goes to plan then we can get (the season) started in August,” said the United gaffer.

“I have always said that for pre-season we would need a minimum of four weeks although I would like more, closer to six weeks.

“The good thing is with the dates we have got we have got the six weeks.

“A decision has still to be made on the Betfred Cup but I can’t see that being played along the normal timescales because we need to get the players fit.

“You want to get the players as fit as you can while also reducing the risk of injury.

“You could come back within a fortnight but you would have a number of players who would have thigh, calf or hamstring problems.

“That is why you need the time to condition your players to get up to speed.

“If we are able to keep to these dates then that would be great but if there are any issues then we might need to take the players off furlough and get them training individually or in pairs.

Neilson plans i nitially on working with United’s first-team players only, with a small group of “five or six” younger players training in a separate location.

But the specifics of how distanced, small-numbers training sessions will work have yet to be thrashed out.

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