Premier League's Project Restart boost as stars ready to give green light to season return

Bosses believe they have provided enough scientific evidence and research to reassure clubs like Watford, Brighton and West Ham who have expressed doubts because of the health risk

Premier League players are ready to give their seal of approval for Project Restart.

League bosses believe they have provided enough scientific evidence and research to reassure clubs like Watford, Brighton and West Ham who have all publicly expressed doubts because of the health risk.

But Mirror Sport understands that no club has currently got any more than two players missing from training after two rounds of coronavirus tests in English football’s top flight.

There is also hope that Watford captain Troy Deeney may be convinced to return after he took part in a conference call last Friday designed to reassure players about potential increased risk for BAME players.

They also showed evidence that the risk to super-fit black players is as low as 0.04 which is significant as Chelsea gave N’Golo Kante permission to miss training last week because of health fears.

There is a crunch meeting between Premier League bosses, players, managers and the Professional Footballers’ Association and League Managers’ Association.

But the return in Germany has been a game changer while Spain and Italy are also hoping to return next month.

The PFA will speak to their German counterparts but the feeling is that has gone without a hitch and has been reassuring for players ahead of a vote on a return to stage two of contact training on Wednesday.

The mood now appears to be changing and players are ready to get back to games as they realise football needs to return to keep the game afloat after the coronavirus crisis.

Premier League bosses will hold another meeting on Thursday when a return date could be agreed with players and managers likely to push for June 26 to give them extra time to get match fit.

But League bosses would prefer to get back by June 19 and now there seems to be a positive mood especially on the back of only three players testing positive out of more than 700 last week and only two more at the weekend.

Individual players are then expected to be taken out of the group and to self isolate for seven days but would need to provide at least two negative tests before return to training.

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