Michael Keane celebrates his England goal
Michael Keane celebrates his England goal

Premier League return plans: Michael Keane says players need two weeks to get fit to play again


Premier League players would need two weeks of training to be ready to resume the 2019/20 season, according to England defender Michael Keane.

Football in England has been suspended until April 30 at the earliest due to the coronavirus pandemic and many believe it will be well into the summer before the Premier League could resume playing.

The Premier League is due to meet again on April 3 to talk about the next steps and how they will return to action and the mechanics and procedures for getting back into the league campaign.

A major consideration is how long players will need to prepare after spending so long on lockdown, but Everton centre back Keane says they will need just a "couple of weeks" of training back with their clubs.

"All the lads have been sent individual training programmes to carry out at home," Keane told talkSPORT.

"It's not easy because you've not got the normal equipment, you've just got to improvise and do what you can.

"The Premier League could start again in a month, it could be longer.

"So we've just got to keep that base level of fitness. As long as we get a couple of weeks proper training before the next game - and the lads have worked hard in the meantime - we'll be fine."

Centre-half Keane outlined how Everton staff are remotely monitoring the fitness of Carlo Ancelotti's squad.

"We log on with the sessions we've done, and they keep an eye on what we're doing and gauge our fitness from that," Keane said.

"It's important we continue to work hard and build up because we don't know when we'll be back in.

"I go out for a run early and get that ticked off. Later in the day I do home gym work, whether that's upper body or lower leg strength."

Keane, along with fellow players, Ancelotti and chairman Bill Kenwright, has also been speaking to isolated supporters as part of the club's Blue Family campaign.

"We're helping out in the community, which is brilliant," said Keane, who spoke on the phone to 78-year-old Everton supporter Rod.

"It was great to hear the happiness in the voice when I gave him a call. He said it made his day, and it made mine as well.

"All the lads have got on board. There will be a lot of fans who are lonely and maybe vulnerable, and this gives them the boost they need to get through this."

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