Sheffield United could be part of a collective Premier League effort to help clubs cope with coronavirus crisis

Officials from the governing body are due to discuss the proposal at a meeting with the PFA, the players’ union, later today. The response they receive will then be analysed when representatives of the country’s 20 leading sides hold a video conference next week, where it is expected a decision will be taken to prolong the suspension of the fixture schedule for a third time.

Chris Basham, the United defender, was questioned about the idea during an interview on Wednesday, admitting: “We’ve not spoken about wage deferrals. Obviously it goes without saying that we hope our club is in a strong (financial) position and I’m sure it is.”

But United’s appointed PFA delegate, goalkeeper Simon Moore, could be asked to brief their first team squad on the situation after the weekend. Although the huge broadcasting and solidarity payments top-flight sides receive offer them a degree of protection against the loss of revenues caused by the outbreak of Covid-19, it is now widely accepted that competition will not be able to resume until at least May or June; meaning they could have gone three months without any commercial, sponsorship or advertising income before returning to action.

The situation is even more acute in the English Football League, while in Spain, where more than 4,000 people have died after contracting the respiratory disease, Barcelona recently approached their players about the possibility of accepting a wage deferral.