Steve Bruce and Newcastle United's players set for Premier League presentation

The Premier League has been suspended since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the Government is backing a restart in the summer. Asked about a mid-June return this week, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said: "I think it would lift the spirits of the nation. I know that the government has had constructive meetings with sports bodies to plan for athletes to resume training when it's safe to do so."

Players and managers will be presented with medical protocols related to the restart, according to League Managers Association chief executive RIchard Bevan.

“Next week, the medical and operational protocols are going to be presented to the managers and indeed the players,” Bevan told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“Hopefully, there’ll be solutions that create this safe environment. In the meantime, we’re staying very open-minded, and, as always, the managers take their responsibility to the game very seriously on all these issues.”

The new protocols will cover testing, social distancing and personal protective equipment. A seven-page document, drawn up by the Premier League’s director of football Richard Garlick, talks about players wearing masks or snoods at training.

Meanwhile, epidemiologist Rowland Kao told the PA news agency last month that masks were a “sensible” precaution.

“It’s unclear how much protection those masks would be, but it would seem sensible to put as many precautions as you could in place,” said Kao.

However, Brighton striker Glenn Murray branded the idea of wearing face masks as “farcical”.

Bevan said there was no suggestion that managers would be involved in any coercion of players.

“They’re the voice and leaders of clubs and teams, but they always demonstrate calm leadership and that’s what we need,” said Bevan. “Whatever the pressures, physical, psychological well-being of players, coaches and indeed all the personnel, that will come first and foremost.”

It has been reported that Premier League club doctors have written to Garlick and Mark Gillet, the league’s medical adviser, asking 100 questions concerning return-to-play protocols.