Premier League players been directed by their clubs to be ready, and prepare, for a return to full training on June 1 but the awkward bit caught in between the teeth is that some foreign players face an anxious wait to see if they can get back to the country in time.
Top flight managers and their coaching and fitness staff are already prepping up with the aim of working with their squads again by this date at the latest in a concerted bid to prepare for the resumption of the season.
Yet it remains to be seen if a host of big name stars who had returned home to be with their families and are currently scattered across the world will be able to rush back to England in time, due to strict restrictions on travel because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Premier League bosses are coming under increasing pressure from Uefa to get the domestic season finished and are understandably in a bit of a dither, anxiously waiting to see if flights can be arranged speedily and expeditiously to get their stars back in time for the start of full training again.
League officials had targeted a return to action on June 8 pending Government approval despite this being unrealistic and games could now start again at the beginning of July.
Uefa have laid the law down that domestic leagues across Europe must finish by August 3 – and if this is not possible then play-off games to decide European places and relegation might have to take place. They also want to set aside the month of August to get both the Champions League and Europa League completed.
Medical experts have already done their due diligence and told club bosses that players will need up to a month of training before being able to compete in top-level matches again without risking serious injury.
Some clubs are planning to resume a form of training in May, but with social distancing rules still in place it means proper drills and suitable preparation remains impossible.
A return to training at the start of June would give teams a realistic chance of being ready to play games again by the start of July.
The provisional plan would be to play three a week behind closed doors throughout July to meet Uefa’s deadline, with some teams having 10 games remaining while others have nine.
The League is planning to allow around 350 ‘must-have’ people to attend matches, but everyone involved will have to be tested for Covid-19 first.