The people responsible for shaping Sheffield United's approach to crisis meeting

The measure, introduced to try and combat the spread of coronavirus, was unveiled before the Government warned against mass gatherings of people as part of its response to the health crisis.

Although the opinions of a number of senior figures ar Bramall Lane have been canvassed, including in-house doctors and first team manager Chris Wilder, Prince Musa’ad and Bettis have effectively shaped United’s policy ahead of a teleconference involving all PL members following talks with owner HRH Prince Abdullah bin Musa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Prince Abdullah, who installed his son-in-law Prince Musa’ad after winning a High Court battle with former co-owner and long-serving director Kevin McCabe towards the end of last year, is thought to be an advocate of finishing the season rather than abandoning it altogether, which has been mooted by some within the game.

But the Saudi royal supports the neutral stance, proposed by Bettis and Prince Musa’ad, United are set to adopt during discussions. As The Star has revealed, members of their board believe it is imperative all arguments are analysed and then considered on their merits, rather than allow self-interest to shape the outcome of those talks.

Earlier this week, UEFA’s executive committee announced it was postponing this summer’s Euro 2020 tournament for 12 months in order to create a window for leagues affected by the disease’s outbreak to complete their respective calendars.

The move was taken following a summit involving officials from its 55 national associations, the European Club Association and the European branch of players’ union FIFPro.

"The health of fans, staff and players has to be our number one priority and, in that spirit, UEFA tabled a range of options so that competitions can finish this season safely and I am proud of the response of my colleagues across European football,” Aleksander Čeferin, the UEFA President, said. “There was a real spirit of cooperation, with everyone recognising that they had to sacrifice something in order to achieve the best result.”

United, who had been scheduled to face Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-finals this weekend, are seventh in the table, five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and with a game in hand on Frank Lampard’s side, only a season after being promoted from the Championship.

Clubs in the second tier of the English game voted to try and fulfil the fixture schedule during their own meeting on Tuesday.

Those in League One and League Two told the EFL they face estimated combined losses of £50m if matches fail to restart before the summer.

Wilder, who enjoyed successful spells in charge of Halifax, Oxford and Northampton Town before being appointed by United in 2016, expressed fears about the financial impact coronavirus could have upon some clubs lower down the pyramid over the weekend.