Exclusive: Phillips says when West Brom squad might be able to return to training
We’re delighted to welcome former West Brom striker Kevin Phillips as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at The Hawthorns…
Kevin Phillips can see clubs like West Brom be able to return to the training ground within the next two weeks.
Albion halted group training at the club’s training ground on March 17 and since then, players have been maintaining their fitness at home.
The Baggies originally planned to train through the coronavirus-enforced suspension of the Championship but after the government changed their guidelines, training was disbanded for the foreseeable future.
It has been over three weeks since the players last trained together but Phillips can see them returning within the next couple of weeks.
“Football is just a game, in the end, your family is more important, your health is more important,” Phillips told West Brom News.
“There’s no training going on anyway so I can’t see any of these clubs going back on the training ground for at least another week or two weeks. Being with their families is hugely more important.”
It is hard to see training returning in a couple of weeks, especially with the number of coronavirus-related deaths still rising in the United Kingdom.
It’s likely to be months, rather than weeks, before players are allowed to train together once again and then it is going to take a few more weeks before matches are able to be played again.
Whether those matches will be the remaining nine of this season and have fans in the stadium remains to be seen.
But that can only be considered when it is totally safe to do so.
In other West Brom news, Albion’s turnover plunged by £54million after relegation.