Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder set for top-level talks about 'Project Restart'

In Jeonju, where hosts Jeonbuk Motors beat Suwon Bluewings in the Asian country’s first game since coronavirus delayed the start of the new campaign, coaching staff wore masks as they patrolled the touchlines. Their government, employing measures which would prove controversial in Europe, has also been tracking its citizens’ movements via their bank cards, CCTV and mobile telephones.

Germany, where civil liberties and public sensibilities are broadly similar to England, is likely to shed more light on the protocols Wilder and his colleagues must adhere to if ‘Project Restart’ is actioned next month.

The 52-year-old has been briefed on some of the measures the authorities in England are set to put in place by officials at the League Managers’ Association, with both he and his fellow members invited to share their thoughts on the plan to resume matches next month with its chief executive Richard Bevan.

Subjects discussed during talks, which began last night, included how training sessions might work until social distancing measures are relaxed and appropriate responses should a player refuse to declare themselves available for selection because they fear contracting the respiratory disease.

In an address to members, published on the LMA’s official website, Bevan also stressed he is mindful of the issues relating to supporters, who he described as “the lifeblood of our game.”

“We need to look after them,” he said. “Not just as fans either, but as people enduring the worst global humanitarian crisis (of) modern history. How can we, as a sport, serve them?”

Although Wilder now concedes matches will take place behind closed doors for the foreseeable future - something he was opposed to until the scale of the contagian became apparent - he believes the answer to Bevan’s question is by completing the season rather than using calculations such as average points per game to decide final league placings.

United were seventh in the table before the lockdown was announced, and preparing for an FA Cup quarter-final against Arsenal.

With only five points separating his squad from fourth-placed Chelsea, who have played a game more than their rivals from South Yorkshire, Wilder obviously has a vested interest in ensuring the remaining 92 fixtures are staged. But he is convinced there is a more philosophical case for fulfilling the calendar too, given that statistics and mathematics can be notoriously poor indicators of a team’s form. After all, when they were promoted from the Championship last term, most experts predicted United would find themselves battling against relegation rather than challenging for European qualification.

Wilder’s players are also being briefed on the situation by the Professional Footballers’ Association, whose delegate at Bramall Lane is goalkeeper Simon Moore.

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