LONDON - Watford manager Nigel Pearson cast doubt on Friday on
whether the Premier League should be rushing to restart in June.
Most of Watford's players returned to training, in small groups, this
week, more than two months after the Premier League was suspended
because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Captain Troy Deeney stayed away over fears concerning his 5-month-old
son, who has respiratory problems.
"It's more a question of whether there's a necessity to meet the
government's guidelines rather than get the season completed in a
timeframe that suits," the Watford Observer quoted Pearson Friday.
"We've got until almost the end of August to finish the season. When
we need to restart is debateable.
"There's still a few unanswered questions and that's something that
is a concern for some players and I respect their views."
One Watford player is already isolating after testing positive for
the virus while The Guardian reported on Friday tthat two more
players were staying away for seven days after coming into contact
with someone affected.
Pearson said Deeney and his other black players were also concerned
over safety in the light of the disproportionate number of black,
asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people dying from the virus.
"As far as the players are concerned the BAME question is still
something they don't have enough assurances about.
"It's not just about the players but their wider families. I find it
awkward to talk about football when we're in such a difficult
situation. It doesn't seem right to be talking too much about
football when we've got so many fatalities."