Newcastle United's Miguel Almiron makes bold claim ahead of Premier League & FA Cup return

Of the big five leagues on the continent, only Ligue 1 has declared the season over, with Germany's Bundesliga already two and a half weeks into the campaign, and the Premier League setting a June 17 return date. Serie A and Spain's La Liga have also pencilled in dates for a resumption of their respective division's games.

And Almiron hopes football is showing there is a pathway back to some kind of normality.

"I've been watching a few of the games, so I think we can, yes," Almiron said of the return to action in Germany.

"As long as we take all the right precautionary measures, I think that we can start playing football once again, not just here, but in other countries too."

While the £21million man is delighted to be back in action – United stepped up their training to include the full squad on the same pitches this week - he does think things won't quite be the same when the real ball comes out, with fans watching at home rather than in the terraces.

"We're bound to miss our own supporters, just like I'm sure they're going to miss being able to attend games at the stadium like they usually do," Almirón told nufc.co.uk.

"But that's just what has to be done for now so that we can get back to some sort of normality as quickly as possible. If and when the league starts up again, we'll be trying hard to perform at our absolute best so we can put a smile back on the fans' faces."

Almiron continued: "I'm really happy to be getting back into training and to be able to see my teammates once again.

"I'd been training at home, just like all the other lads - but it's just not the same, on the running machine, (compared to) running on the pitch with a ball at your feet alongside your teammates. That's what I missed the most."