LONDON • Premier League clubs will return to training today after agreeing to allow "small group" sessions to begin.
The league held a conference call with all 20 clubs yesterday, when the move was given unanimous backing. It is the first step in its Project Restart plans to resume play since the season was suspended from March 9 owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
"Step One of the Return to Training Protocol enables squads to train while maintaining social distancing. Contact training is not yet permitted," the league said in a statement.
The league said the decision had been taken in consultation with players, managers, Premier League club doctors, independent experts and the British government.
"Strict medical protocols of the highest standard will ensure everyone returns to training in the safest environment possible," it added.
Safety measures are expected to include tents where temperature checks will be conducted, strict hygiene criteria, no canteens and no showers. A maximum of five players will be allowed per pitch with tackling forbidden.
Players will be tested twice a week and are being asked to provide written approval that they have received and understood the club's Covid-19 policy.
The league, players, managers, clubs, the Professional Footballers' Association and League Managers Association will continue to discuss protocols for full-contact training, followed by matches.
It was recognised yesterday that the stages ahead will prove more difficult, with plenty of work to be done, reported The Guardian.
The Premier League had previously set June 12 as a possible return date for matches but it is believed this will be pushed back.
According to Sky Sports, many players are understood to be encouraged by what they saw after watching Bundesliga games being played last weekend.
However, several top-flight players including Manchester City star Raheem Sterling have expressed concerns about the league's plans to resume amid the outbreak.
Former England manager Sam Allardyce said that Premier League clubs must reassure players there will be no repercussions if they are unwilling to risk their health by returning to action.
"Getting the players fit in four weeks could be done, but that's the least of their worries," he wrote in a column for The Times. "I think the biggest challenge for players will be dealing with the mental side."
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will have additional issues to deal with this week after their players made headlines for the wrong reasons.
Chelsea and England forward Callum Hudson-Odoi, 19, was arrested on Sunday following an argument with a woman, The Sun reported.
The Metropolitan Police told The Sun that officers and London Ambulance Service were called in the early hours of Sunday morning "to a report of an unwell woman".
The report added that the woman was taken to hospital and a man was arrested at the scene and taken into police custody before being bailed out and released.
Chelsea declined to comment on The Sun's report.
The Daily Mail reported that Hudson-Odoi was arrested on suspicion of rape, having invited the woman - a model he met online - to his London apartment.
Arsenal said they are taking reports striker Alexandre Lacazette inhaled nitrous oxide from a balloon "seriously" and will deal with the matter internally.
The Frenchman was warned by the club in 2018 when video footage emerged of him and teammates Mesut Ozil, Matteo Guendouzi and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang inhaling the gas, also known as hippy crack, in a nightclub.
"This is a private matter which we are taking seriously. It will be handled internally," said an Arsenal spokesman.
REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
