‘There will be concerned players’ – Exclusive: Phillips reacts to Pereira Instagram post
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 is hopeful that Matheus Pereira isn’t the only West Brom player who is eager to get back on the pitch and complete the season.
Pereira, 23, said on his personal Instagram account last week, accompanied by a video of him doing fitness training at home, that he is “ready to go back”.
West Brom players have not been among the most vocal in sharing their opinions on a potential restart while the country has been in lockdown but there have been a number of Premier League players who have made it known they are opposed to playing the remaining fixtures.
Phillips is hopeful that those who are against a restart are in the minority and that the rest of the Baggies squad share the same view as star attacker Pereira.
“I would say there are more players for returning and trying to do things the right way to get back to playing because it’s all we’ve ever known and all we’ve ever done,” Phillips told West Brom News when asked if Pereira’s stance will be shared among the squad.
“I understand there will be concerned players for health reasons – it’s a really difficult one.
“I hope we get more clarity by the end of this week and players, captains and managers talk to the powers that be.
“I really hope that the majority of players want to get back to playing, which I’m sure they do.”
It’s unlikely that everyone in the West Brom squad will agree with Pereira.
Even though resuming the season will benefit the Baggies as it alleviates the risk of missing out on promotion via an off-field decision, the health and safety of everyone must come first.
Players are set to return to training on Monday with tests being carried out over the coming days.
If anything, testing players and sending them to self-isolate will be a good thing not only for the individual and the squad, but society as a whole.
Let’s see where we are at in a few weeks’ time but it does seem that the Championship season will restart at some point next month.
In other West Brom news, this is how much the Baggies will have to pay for coronavirus testing.