Premier League get set to resume training

PREMIER LEAGUE clubs will discuss contact training protocols next week before any season restart date can be agreed, the competition’s chief executive Richard Masters has said.

Step one of the return to training protocols were unanimously approved by clubs yesterday. At this stage, players must practise social distancing at all times, the league said.

Players and managers, including Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling, have insisted adequate time must be factored in between the resumption of regular contact training and any season start date.

Masters says the widely reported start date of June 12 has only ever been a “staging post” and a more definitive restart date can be set only once contact training protocols have been approved.

“June 12 was a staging post; it wasn’t a firm commitment and what we don’t want to do

is continue to move it around,” he said. “We know there’s a discussion to be had, it really depends on when we can start full contact training and we have a process to go through before we can get to that stage. Of course we’ve got to be flexible.

“Next week we are going to be discussing full contact training protocols for that. Once you know when you can start full contact training, and we have had a proper discussion with clubs about how much is required to create the fitness levels before they can start playing, we are then in a position to be able to confirm when the season start is.”

Testing for coronavirus at top-flight clubs has taken place over the last two days, and will continue throughout the return to match action in a bid to make the environment as safe as possible for all concerned. Masters confirmed the results from the first round of testing, conducted on Sunday and Monday, would be back by 2pm today.