Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has thrown his weight behind the Premier League’s plans for players to return to training this week.
The clubs voted unanimously for players to return at a shareholders’ meeting on Monday (May 18). The vote was the first significant step in initiating return-to-play protocols.
Officials are optimistic that the Premier League will restart in June, three months after football was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, they acknowledge that plans may not be sufficiently advanced to ensure a return to action on June 12, as initially hoped.
The Premier League confirmed on Tuesday (May 19) it had received six positive tests for coronavirus from three clubs, after a first phase of mass-testing of players. A total of 748 tests were carried out over the weekend.
Reports credited to SkySports confirmed six individuals at three clubs of the 19 tested so far have produced positive coronavirus results.
Some Premier League clubs resumed training in small groups on Tuesday and Klopp believes the timing is right.
“Nobody wants to bring anybody into danger but I think with all the things we know about, sticking to the social distancing rule – especially in the first part – with testing as often as possible and stuff like this, the players will be safe,” Klopp told Liverpool’s official website .
“Germany showed it already – a couple of players had a positive test during the long period, they trained for five weeks and now they play already, stuff like this and they had altogether 10 or 12 positive tests.
“I hope that we are now in England on the right side of the thing as well.
“It’s all about when – but you need to re-open step by step different parts of life again. And everybody agrees about that, it’s only about when.
“It’s now a good moment to do it [in the Premier League]. Then other things, for sure, will follow,” he said.
