Murray in no hurry to restart

Brighton striker Glenn Murray believes Premier League football is being rushed back too soon amid the coronavirus crisis, with the fact England is the worst-hit country in Europe being overlooked by some.

The Premier League invited club captains and managers to share their thoughts on a return to action during conference calls on Wednesday as Project Restart continues.

Murray, 36, was on the call about how and when training will step up ahead of a prospective mid-june return – a timescale the veteran Brighton forward believes is too rushed given the current backdrop.

“Football isn’t a necessity – it’s a game, it’s a sport,” he said.

“I mean, what if we go through all this rigmarole of trying to get back started, and we have a second peak and we’re stopped anyway?

“I just can’t understand after just sort of loosening the lockdown why we’re in such a rush to get it back.

“Why can’t we just wait a month or so to see if things go to plan?”

Put to Murray that the phasing is in place for a gradual return to action, he said: “Yeah, it is but I mean what’s the point in getting halfway through the phase and then stopping?

“Why not see how the whole country deals with softening the lockdown first before we even think about starting unnecessary sports like football when people are dying all around us and the death rates are still high?

“We’re up to like 34,000 now – we’re the worst-hit in Europe. No one seems to take that into consideration.”