Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has moved to reassure all members of his squad that they will only be expected to return to the pitch once in the correct mental state to do so.
Football inching towards return
As COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc across the globe, the sporting world has been brought to almost a complete halt.
In a bid to prevent further spread of the virus amongst fans and players alike, the majority of high-profile football competitions have been postponed since early in March.
In Europe, Belarus remains the only country in which top-flight football continues to be played, with the Champions League and Europa League having also been postponed for the time being.
OFFICIAL: UEFA have postponed both 2019/20 Champions League finals as well as the Europa League final.
All three were set to take place in May and no new dates have been confirmed. pic.twitter.com/3epaM19kAb
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) March 23, 2020
Recent weeks, though, have seen positive steps taken towards the resumption of all of the Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A.
In fact, the German top-flight is due to get back underway as early as next weekend.
In England, meanwhile, though many have cast doubt over the Premier League’s return amid the country’s struggles in their fight against the coronavirus, the ultimate goal remains to see out the final weeks of the campaign.
At a meeting between Premier League shareholders last week, it was reiterated that all 20 top-flight clubs intend to play their remaining fixtures.
At a meeting of Shareholders, clubs discussed possible steps to resume the 2019/20 season
The League and clubs will only return to training and playing with Government guidance, under expert advice and after consultation with players and managers
More: https://t.co/GJr8UN1Kzb pic.twitter.com/b5TjUkKcxp
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 1, 2020
‘If a player isn’t mentally ready…’
As outlined above, though, the manager of one of the Premier League’s heavyweights has this weekend spoken out over the potential mental impact of a return to action on those who will have to take to the pitch.
Speaking in an interview with Sky Sports’ The Football Show, Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer discussed the expected resumption of the English top-flight, with a specific emphasis on his squad.
And, after confirming that those in a position of power at Old Trafford have no intention of taking any risks when it comes to the wellbeing of the club’s players, Solskjaer added that the Red Devils’ stars will not be forced to line out in competitive fixtures before they are ‘mentally ready’:
‘I’ve not spoken to any of the boys about that, the doctor has been.’
‘Whenever we have been, in any meeting, we have spoken about players’ safety and welfare and we are not going to take any risks, the doctors have been in meetings and to get these protocols passed.’
‘You wouldn’t hold anything against any player concerned, you need to get to know everyone and if a player isn’t mentally ready to play we couldn’t force anyone.’
‘They haven’t raised too many concerns, we trust the experts and health offices on if and when it is safe to start again.’
Quotes via the Daily Mail
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