 |
| Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho |
Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho said it was painful to watch countries resume their top-flight seasons while English soccer remains suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The German Bundesliga restarted on May 16, becoming the first major soccer league to get back underway, while leagues in Portugal and Spain are also nearing a return.
Professional soccer in England has been suspended since mid-March but clubs on Wednesday voted unanimously to return to contact training as the second step in the Premier Leagueโs โProject Restartโ, which hopes for a return to play in June.
โItโs hard to see other countries playing football and we donโt do it,โ Mourinho told Sky Sports.
โI always try to make our players love the Christmas period where, instead of being sad, we were always happy to give people what they love in a period where nobody else is playing football.
โAt the moment, weโre feeling a bit oppositeโฆ We want to play but of course we are respectful of the authorities, we trust what they and the Premier League say, we just have to follow the decision.โ
The extended break has given Spursโ injured players, such as Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Moussa Sissoko, and Steven Bergwijn time to recover and Mourinho said they should all be available when the season resumes.
โI cannot say at this moment that they are ready to playโฆ but all of them are not injured anymore. They are training, it is what it is and it has a lot of limitationsโฆ but Harry, Son, Bergwijn, Sissoko, all of them are fine,โ he added.
โโฆ I think in a couple of weeks they will be able to play. Of course not to their maximum potential, I donโt think anyone can at this moment, but they will be ready to go.โ
Tottenham were in eighth place, four points off the European qualifying spots, when the season was suspended.
REUTERS
