Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted that the health and safety for a player will come first, ahead of forcing any of the players to resume training against their will.
The Premier League leaders returned to their Melwood training ground on Wednesday, and head coach Jurgen Klopp beamed a smiling face beneath a face mask by putting his players through their paces in small groups as tentative training sessions resumed.
Although the German boss appeared glad to get back to work with his Liverpool players following a two-month break due to the coronavirus, Klopp has insisted that he will not force any of his stars to play if they do not feel safe.
With Project Restart, the Premier League is tipped for a possible resumption on June 12 as the UK Government has urged the return of football to boost the economy.
With the coronavirus still a looming threat in the UK, a number of players have raised concerns over returning to training as they fear contracting the deadly bug.
However, European champions Liverpool have revealed that no player will be forced to train against their will. While speaking to Sky Sports, Klopp explained that the players have a choice of returning to football training, “It is the players’ choice and that is clear, I said before the session, ‘You are here on free will. Usually, you sign a contract and you have to be in when I tell you, but in this case, if you don’t feel safe, you don’t have to be here’; There are no restrictions, no punishment, nothing. It’s their own decision and we respect that 100 per cent. The boys are fine. We would never put anybody in danger to do what we want to do. Yes, we love football, yes, it’s our job, but it’s not more important than our lives or the lives of other people.”
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are currently 25 points ahead of 2nd placed Manchester City and in the hunt for their first Premier League title in 30 years.
