Ahead of the Premier League‘s proposed restart on June 12, the 20 clubs are expected to return to team training from next Monday, as lockdown measures are relaxed.
The prime minister announced on Sunday evening that workers were ‘actively encouraged’ to report back if they could not fulfil their jobs from home, among a series of new regulations.
This was followed by a meeting across the Premier League on Monday that saw their next steps towards resuming the campaign discussed, as opposition was voiced over the proposal to employ neutral stadia for the final 92 games.
On the same day, some of Jurgen Klopp‘s squad were pictured heading into Melwood for individual running drills, with the club implementing “extreme measures” to avoid contact.
And The Athletic‘s David Ornstein has revealed that over in the Midlands, Wolves staff were tested at their training ground, piloting a procedure that is intended to be rolled out across the Premier League.
The testing is said to have taken 30 seconds, with results to be delivered within 24 hours, and if cleared by clubs and players this will be used twice a week to ensure safety during the return of the English top flight.
In Ornstein’s report, he notes that “it was hoped the template exhibited at Wolves would be implemented elsewhere on Wednesday and Thursday before training restarts from May 18.”
It had been predicted that squads would return for initially limited team training from next Monday, and this appears to confirm the tentative plan.
Premier League managers are set for a meeting on Wednesday morning, with the players’ video conference then due in the afternoon, with this likely to be green-lit during this process along with the rollout of training-ground testing.
The FA informed the Premier League on Monday that they would not sanction either voiding the current campaign or removing relegation, though the opposition to neutral stadia serves as another obstacle.
But the prospect of Liverpool returning for training at Melwood—following the blueprint laid out in Germany—is another positive as the Reds aim to finish their push for the title.
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