Football: La Liga return 'what we all need', says Atletico's Correa

MADRID: Atletico Madrid winger Angel Correa on Monday (May 25) said that a return to football "is what we all need" ahead of a possible La Liga restart in mid-June.

League president Javier Tebas on Sunday said he hopes the Spanish season can resume with the Seville derby on Jun 11, after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said La Liga could return from Jun 8.

"With this crazy period that we are all living in, knowing that we will soon be playing again, resuming La Liga is an immense joy," Correa told the Atletico website after training on Monday.

"I think this is what we all need, for football to resume, and thank God, it will happen very quickly."

Spanish sides are currently training in small groups, but should be able to return to full training on Jun 1.

Atletico sit sixth in the La Liga table with 11 games of the season remaining, although only one point adrift of Real Sociedad, who occupy the fourth and final Champions League spot.

"The whole team has been working at home, and now we are noticing that during training," added Argentinian international Correa.

"We're training at a high level and that is what the team needs to be ready when La Liga resumes.

"I'm very happy. I really wanted to get back on the pitch, come back to train with my teammates. The lockdown was a very difficult period, but that's it, we are moving forward now."

Atletico reached the Champions League quarter-finals shortly before the suspension of the season by ending holders Liverpool's title defence, although that match at Anfield was linked to "41 additional deaths" by a report published on Sunday.

Lockdown measures in Madrid were finally eased on Monday, while elsewhere in Spain the first beaches were reopened.

More than 28,000 people have died in Spain due to COVID-19.