Revealed: The extraordinary 'plan' for the Premier League and Newcastle United

The league suspended its fixtures earlier this month due to the coronavirus pandemic. The country has since gone into lockdown.

And The Independent report that the rest of the fixtures could be played behind closed doors at venues in the Midlands and London in June and July.

All 92 remaining games would be televised, making it a “TV mega event”. It's claimed that clubs and their staff would be confined to separate hotels to reduce the risk of anyone contracting the virus. The idea reportedly has government backing.

Newcastle are 13th in the Premier League – and in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. The club sent its players home and told them to self-isolate after the league suspended its fixtures.

United head coach Steve Bruce last week called for a “festival of football” when fixtures resume.

"We have to try and get this season finished, whatever that takes – everybody wants that,” said Bruce. “But we must also remember that the health and safety of players and staff is far more important than football.

“We shouldn’t return to training until it’s absolutely safe to do so.

"We can have a 'Festival of Football' month, games every day, teams playing two or three games a week. It’s not ideal, but if we can play 10 to 15 games in December and the start of January, we can do it to get this season finished.”