LONDON: Premier League clubs will return to training in small groups from Tuesday after the latest stage of “Project Restart” was approved on Monday.
Clubs unanimously voted to allow players to start socially distanced training in a bid to meet the Premier League’s mid-June date to resume the season.
Earlier, Britain’s Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden had hinted a mid-June restart with the last top-flight match in England was held on March 9.
Newcastle manager Bruce said his players could “fall down like a pack of cards” with injuries if matches return before the end of June while Sterling also expressed his concern.
The Premier League have reportedly been aiming for a return on June 12.
Dowden insisted public safety remained the priority, but is also hoping a restart is only around a month away.
“I had some very constructive discussions on Thursday with the FA, the EFL (English Football League) and the Premier League,” Dowden told Sky News on Monday.
“We are working hard with them to try and get it back, aiming for mid-June, but the number one test is public safety.
“They, like a lot of other sports we’re looking at returning behind closed doors, have met with Public Health England several times to look at the safety.
“If we can sort that out then we will look to resume by mid-June. We’re making good progress.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told parliament last week that the return of sport on TV would “provide a much-needed boost to national morale”.
The resumption of Germany’s Bundesliga over the weekend has raised expectations that the Premier League can follow suit despite the drastically different scale of the health crisis in both countries.
In the UK, the government’s official rolling tally of fatalities is nearing 35,000 compared to just under 8,000 in Germany.
