Liverpool physio Jose Luis Rodriguez has detailed the “extreme measures” taken on the return to training at Melwood, including temporary showers on the pitch.
The Reds made the decision to allow individual training at their training ground last week, as clubs begin preparations for the restart of the Premier League.
Given the risk of infection in the coronavirus pandemic, caution must be practiced in terms of player interaction, and Liverpool have therefore taken “extreme measures” to ensure no contact is made.
That is according to Rodriguez, who has experienced the setup first hand, as he explained in an interview with Spanish radio station Cadena Cope.
“They’ve gone to the next phase, which is voluntary individual training sessions. There is one player training per pitch with extreme measures observed,” he explained, as translated by ESPN.
“Temporary toilets and showers have been set up on the pitches so that no one has to enter the buildings.
“We have four or five pitches, so we have five players every 45 minutes.
“They are given a timetable and arrive at different times. They have paths signalled on the floor like in airports.
“The player follows those signs once he leaves his car, he goes into the portable changing rooms, then he comes out and trains, does running drills.
“Then when he is done he follows a different path to eventually get to his car.
“They never come across other players that are coming in or players that are already there.
“There’s no need to enter the building. Once the player gets into his car, he already has his food and clothes to take to home. The clothes [worn] are later on sent to their home.”
It is a necessary approach for the Reds, as they aim to maintain social distancing while returning to some semblance of normalcy ahead of the anticipated Premier League comeback.
This will be important to the players who opt into these voluntary sessions, with Dejan Lovren explaining earlier this month that time in lockdown was having a detrimental effect on him mentally.
Liverpool are yet to sanction a return to team training despite the prime minister’s confused message on Sunday evening, in which he seemed to grant permission to report back to work if it isn’t possible to do so at home.
But the Premier League are likely to come to a consensus over this on Monday, in their latest meeting to discuss their plan to restart.
Fan Comments