{"id":552344,"date":"2020-05-27T14:01:31","date_gmt":"2020-05-27T18:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonfootball.com\/?p=552344"},"modified":"2020-05-27T14:01:31","modified_gmt":"2020-05-27T18:01:31","slug":"premier-league-teams-to-resume-contact-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2020\/05\/27\/premier-league-teams-to-resume-contact-training\/","title":{"rendered":"Premier League Teams to Resume Contact Training"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Premier League<\/a> is edging closer to returning after all 20 clubs voted unanimously to resume contact training. This is Phase Two of Project Restart.<\/p>\n

“Squads are now able to train as a group and engage in tackling while minimizing any unnecessary close contact,” the league said in a statement <\/a>made today.<\/p>\n

Premier League Teams to Resume Contact Training<\/h2>\n

Premier League Return Date<\/h3>\n

The UK government has given football the green light to resume on June 1. However, the targeted date for the Premier League to resume is on June 20. Project Restart took a huge step forward with this announcement.<\/p>\n

Phase One already allowed for small, socially-distanced training sessions. This step allows for squads “to train as a group and engage in tackling while minimizing any unnecessary close contact,” according to the statement.<\/p>\n

Cancelling games could cost the league at least \u00a31 billion, said<\/a> chief executive Richard Masters. This is part of the reason why the Premier League has rejected calls to curtail the season.<\/p>\n

And they aren’t the only league to take this action. The German Bundesliga<\/a> has already returned. In addition, La Liga<\/a> will start playing again on June 8.<\/p>\n

However, COVID-19 has hit the UK worse than those two countries. It currently has 267,000 cases and 37,460 deaths – the highest total in Europe.<\/p>\n

Players will continue to get tested twice a week as safeguarding for the coronavirus.<\/p>\n

Player’s Reaction<\/h3>\n

Some players seem genuinely excited by this step in Project Restart.<\/p>\n

“The lads have been dying to get in and when they\u2019ve been doing the sessions, there\u2019s been a really good intensity,\u201d Jordan Henderson said<\/a> in a Guardian interview. \u201cHopefully it\u2019s not too long before we can get back to full training in bigger groups. I think after a few weeks of proper training we\u2019ll be right back where we left off.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, not everyone shares his enthusiasm. Watford<\/a> captain Troy Deeney<\/a> has refused to train – he is concerned about exposing his young son who has breathing difficulties to the virus.<\/p>\n

The Premier League is entering into unprecedented territory. No one knows if the league will be successful and any consequences could be disastrous.<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>