Gary Neville insists peer pressure will force concerned Premier League stars into training

Gary Neville believes worried Premier League players will return to group training this week because they don’t feel they can go against the rest of the dressing room.

Sportsmail revealed on Wednesday that Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante had opted out of a return to the club’s Cobham base after just one session over fears relating to the coronavirus pandemic.

Watford captain Troy Deeney has also refused to return to action because his young son has suffered with breathing difficulties, while a number of other Hornets players are expected set to skip training after Adrian Mariappa tested positive for the disease. 

Gary Neville believes a number of Premier League stars will feel they have to train this week

Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante (second from left) has decided not to take part in training

However, Neville insists the majority of players who are concerned about their safety will still train because of peer pressure from team-mates who have no issue with the Premier League’s plans for Project Restart.

Neville told Sky Sports’ The Football Show: ‘Players are uncomfortable. The dressing room is a challenging environment to stand up and say “I’m not going to come to training, I’m not going to be with the rest of my team-mates”. 

‘Twenty years ago everyone would have been pressurised and told to get on with it, you would have felt that peer pressure but that peer pressure still exists. 

‘It’s almost like when your manager used to say when you were younger that training is optional tomorrow, don’t worry if you don’t want to come in, I won’t hold it against you. You knew full well you had to come in because if you didn’t come in you weren’t being professional. 

Troy Deeney said he would not return to Watford training amid fears over the coronavirus 

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk appeared happy to be back in group training on Wednesday

‘It’s a bit like that now, when you hear a manager on TV saying they won’t put any pressure on my players.

‘If you’re a player at home with doubts and all your team-mates are going in, you’re going to go in. 

‘You mentioned [N’Golo] Kante and his circumstances, you understand why he’s going to be nervous. Troy Deeney the same. 

‘I do think there will be more players in training at the moment with nerves who are wary of going in and are considering their health. 

‘A large majority will be okay with it and want to play so it’s a case of “we’re not going to stop this now, they’re back in training”. This is a train back on the track, so it isn’t going to stop.’

Kante was among a number of players throughout the Premier League to skip small group training on Wednesday, which for many clubs was the first session back.

France international Kante is pictured leaving Chelsea’s Cobham training HQ earlier this week

He reported for the first day of training at the club’s Cobham HQ on Tuesday, but declined to return the following day.

Meanwhile, three of the six positive tests in the Premier League came from Watford, with one player – Mariappa – and two members of staff.

They will now isolate away from the training ground which Watford can now say with some confidence is coronavirus free.

More Hornets players are expected to follow Deeney’s lead and give a return to restricted training a miss, even though sessions are non-contact.

Three out of six positive coronavirus tests in the Premier League came from Watford this week