Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta who believes that observing strict safety measures by players and staff is the only way that will see football return.
Arteta, who has recovered from coronavirus himself, believes one of the hardest parts of the Premier League’s potential return will be educating his players, matchday staff and training ground workers about the new safety measures.
“There is a lot of question marks,” Arteta said. “I think the hardest thing is educating the players and everybody involved at the training grounds and on match days, that this is different
“We have to be very strict with the protocols. Common sense will dictate when we can go to the next step, and the next step, and so on.
“We cannot rush it. We are all aiming to play, we need to play, we are willing to play – it is important for society and the economy.
“We have that responsibility. We just have to be ready for whenever they say ‘Go ahead, open that door’ so we can hit the gas
Arsenal’s players have been allowed to return to their London Colney training ground, but continue to train individually in accordance with government health guidelines while maintaining social distancing
Arteta insists that it is currently the best environment for his players, who have been relying on an app to track their fitness during the lockdown, with Kieran Tierney registering some impressive numbers.
“The players have to arrive five minutes before the session in their own car, with their own clothes, with their own water, with their own protein bar,” Arteta added.
“There is one player per pitch. Nothing else. They don’t touch each other, they don’t even look at each other. No fitness coaches. They have their own programme.
“They finish after one hour. It is even safer than going to the park – they are more protected and if anything happens, we can call for a [emergency] response
