Premier League signpost June 13 return date in latest bid to restart season

The Premier League could return in just over six weeks’ time, if the latest return date of June 13 comes to fruition.

Whilst France’s top two divisions became the latest to be called off after the government announced no sport would take place before September, the Premier League is looking to instead follow the path taken by the Bundesliga.

They plan to resume by at least mid-May in Germany and now the English topflight has signposted the weekend of June 13 as their restart date.

Clubs are reportedly starting to brief staff that plans are in the works for fixtures to recommence by the second week of June, with training to commence in May.

It all rests on receiving the government’s backing, who are set to brief the Premier League by the end of the week on the next phase of social distancing guidelines – which will influence the realistic timeframe for when group training can be given the green light.

With countless moving parts to consider, many beyond the Premier League’s control, the date is once again simply the best-case scenario, which was previously reported as June 8.

The when is subject to change as it rests on plans for how games can be played, with testing and reliance on public services two of the biggest sources of debate.

For football to be given the go-ahead, intense screening of all key staff at regular intervals for each of the 20 clubs is required.

According to the Mirror’s David Maddock, medical staff at a number of clubs, including Liverpool, “have expressed concern over the moral implications of testing players if NHS staff are still denied that procedure.”

It poses as a polarising factor within the plans, ones which will also require how games behind closed doors will be policed to prevent fans from turning up outside stadiums.

As aforementioned, the intricacies involved in resuming the Premier League ensure dates and plans are ever-changing and the cycle of reports will continue until the government provides details on the next phase of the UK’s strategy.

Should the June 13 date come to fruition, the Reds could return to Melwood in a few weeks time and would resume their fixture schedule how they left it, against Everton.