Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has revealed that he felt "so safe" during his first training session back following the Premier League's suspension.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced English football to be halted back in March and clubs were only permitted to return to training in small groups on Tuesday - with strict social distancing enforced. This came after the Premier League submitted each side to a rigorous coronavirus testing programme.
Despite the strange circumstances, Maguire admitted to United's official website that he was delighted to be back and felt at ease with the various safety measures.
"It's our first day back today, but it seems so safe and everyone is respecting it so well, so long may that continue and I'm sure no one will have any problems," Maguire began.
"There is a lot less people at the training ground when we go in. Today I was in a group of four, working with one coach, so not many people.
"You've got a lot space, big areas, not going really close to anyone, but the main thing is getting the work in and it was a tough session, [then] go home and now I'm relaxed and it's all in the bank and I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
Maguire also gave some detail as to how the club were ensuring that social distancing is followed, with each player assigned a different training slot during the day.
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"Yeah, there's slots all the way throughout the day, so some people will be in in the afternoon," he explained.
"It's obviously strange and something that we're not used to, but at the moment it's just getting the base fitness, the physical fitness and I think it's good mentally as well to come into the training ground and get used to the surroundings again."
Though Maguire is clearly comfortable, the Premier League's imminent resumption has been criticised by several other players. Danny Rose, Raheem Sterling and Troy Deeney have all expressed concerns - the latter claiming that he will not be returning to play in Watford's remaining fixtures due to worries over his family's safety - while N'Golo Kante is also said to have reservations.
Source : 90min