DON’T BURN US OUT

Players angry that they may have THREE fixtures in FIVE days

FOOTBALLERS across the Premier League and EFL are furious after being warned they face playing up to three matches in five days once the game returns.

Such a congested fixture list may be needed if the leagues are to meet their target of finishing by June 30 to avoid contractual and legal complications.

Players have also been informed that it is almost inevitable the season will restart behind closed doors.

Clubs from the Premier League down to League Two have as many as 10 League games to play and with football not due to restart until mid-May at the earliest, players face a gruelling schedule when competition recommences.

A large number of players have reservations about returning to action while coronavirus continues to spread as they fear contracting the illness and passing it on to family members.

And the prospect of playing three times in 120 hours, which would increase the possibility of muscular injuries, has added to fears that their concerns are not being considered.

Managers will have to rotate their teams significantly once the season restarts, which means some teams will have to rest key players for potentially crucial

matter was taken out of their hands by force majeure and that they did not void the campaign, hence their instruction to clubs. The official position remains that the Premier League are committed to completing the season, which they are expected to reaffirm in a conference call of all 20 clubs on Friday. Yet dissenting voices are questioning privately whether this is feasible. In an indication of the desperation to finish the campaign, top-flight clubs have not received any directions about a further delay beyond April 30, unlike those in the EFL.

As Sportsmail revealed yesterday, EFL clubs received a memo earlier this week informing them that another suspension was coming. A new potential resumption date is set to be announced next week. There have been no formal talks about how to proceed if the Premier League season is not completed, but in discussions between club executives there is an acceptance that it would be impossible to implement promotion and relegation. This would inevitably lead to compensation demands from EFL clubs and talks over the demands of promotion hopefuls have already begun.