Premier League clubs are meeting this morning to discuss plans to restart training as they try to edge towards competitive matches again.

An imminent resumption of the season appears to be off the table however, after the prime minister made no mention of professional sport in his coronavirus lockdown address to the nation on Sunday.

Boris Johnson only said that people could now play sport with members of their own household, with some tennis courts and golf clubs set to reopen this week.

Monday’s Project Restart meeting is to discuss the Premier League’s proposals on how group training could work safely, and how players and staff would be tested and monitored.

They have already been sent to the government for approval.

A date of 18 May had been pencilled in for training but it is still too soon to say when matches will, or can, resume.

Player representatives and managers will also be involved with Project Restart talks on Tuesday and Wednesday, before football officials meet the government on Thursday.

There is not anticipated to be one big vote from the Premier League clubs on the way forward, rather a collective call to agree on different phases.

A Brighton player tested positive in recent days – the third from the club to contract COVID-19.

The problems of getting football going again were also illustrated this weekend when Spain’s La Liga said five more players had tested positive. None had symptoms.

Player safety issues are not the only hurdle to be overcome if the Premier League is to finish a season that has seen Liverpool establish a huge 25-point lead.

The bottom-six clubs have reservations about proposals to finish the season by playing at neutral grounds, and believe giving up home advantage could affect their chances of staying up and compromise the integrity of the competition.

Aston Villa, Brighton and Watford are so far the only clubs to publicly voice their concerns about the proposal to finish the campaign at neutral grounds.

However, every club is committed to finishing the season.

Germany’s Bundesliga is set to restart next weekend without spectators, but positive test results from two players at second-tier side Dynamo Dresden have stalled that club’s return.

Some high-profile sport did successfully manage to get going again this weekend.

The UFC put on an event without fans in Florida which organisers said was a success – not least because its testing system identified a Brazilian fighter and his cornerman with the virus before they got to the arena.

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