The Premier League up until now had set June 12 as the potential resumption date for the 2019-20 season but as per ESPN this initial deadline might not be met.
Earlier on Monday, the United Kingdom government released a set of guidelines for elite sport in the country and these rules will dictate how the Premier League sides will enter Phase Two of their training.
“Close contact training is required to replicate match formations and conditions so that the sport-specific demands can be placed on the body, mind and senses,” explained a statement on the government’s official website, as reported.
“Close contact training develops the sport-specific fitness which is an essential element for player safety and a reduced risk of injury during competition.
“It is anticipated that engaging in this type of training would start with smaller ‘clusters’ of two-three athletes and eventually progress to larger groups of four-12 athletes, and ultimately full team training, without social distancing possible at all times.”
When will the Premier League resume?
Shortly after this statement, ESPN have claimed that the June 12 deadline might be pushed back since the Premier League clubs want to delay the restart.
The report claims: “The Premier League is increasingly likely to miss their original June 12 target for resuming matches with the clubs expected to push for a Friday date later in the month to restart the season, sources have told ESPN.
“A series of meetings will take place this week to determine the timeframe for a return to competitive action as the League steps up plans with the introduction of contact training.”
This is really bad news for all the English fans but there are a number of people who had predicted a setback since most of the teams will need a fair amount of time in order to get their players back to full fitness.
Not only do they want to take things slow and steady but a lot of clubs have players who had gone back home to various countries. And once they return they will have to follow the normal quarantine protocols in the UK.
Last week, the EPL teams have just started training in small groups and already players like N’Golo Kante and Troy Deeney have refused to return back to training due to concerns over their own safety as well as their families’.
