THE call on whether the Premier League season can be completed may not now be made until June.
Some stars, most recently Watford’s Troy Deeney, want answers to health concerns before they are happy to play again.
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Watford striker Troy Deeney is concerned that his family could be put at risk if he gets back to playing footballCredit: PA:Press Association
The delay in coming up with a plan for contact training means League bosses are unlikely to be able to take a vote on Project Restart for at least another fortnight.
All 20 Prem clubs will meet on Monday to vote on the Phase One return to training, which includes strict social distancing measures and rules out any tackling.
That is likely to be ratified without argument, with players almost unanimous in agreement over the safety precautions for such a measured return to training.
But many are still worried by Phase Two, which will see full contact training, and concerns over how they can be protected from the threat of contracting Covid-19.
CONCERNS OVER PHASE TWO
Thursday’s conference call between the Prem chief Richard Masters and his staff, their medical advisors, players and the PFA failed to deliver any answers — and the feeling among the stars is the league are not close to coming up with solutions.
Those behind Project Restart are frantically working on protocols to satisfy medics that Phase Two can be delivered.
Government agreement for the new protocols would also need to be met.
No meeting has been scheduled between the Prem and the 20 captains as yet, and SunSport understands that is unlikely for a week at least.
Players would then need time to consider proposals with concerns ranging from the threat to vulnerable family members and career-limiting side-effects.
At the earliest, that decision would not be made until the week beginning May 25.
And realistically that would be hard to fit in before June 1 — leaving little time before the planned return on June 19.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
