FIFA propose big mid-season rule change that could alter Garry Monk's Sheffield Wednesday selection process

Clubs could be allowed to use five substitutes throughout the course of a match, an upgrade on the current three, in what is understood to be an attempt to ease concerns about player fitness after the suspension of football due to the coronavirus.

Sports science experts have warned that players will find it difficult to step straight back into action after what is now seven weeks since Sheffield Wednesday’s last match.

And authorities have now floated the idea of more substitutes to protect players who may not be entirely match fit. It could well change the outlook of clubs able to call on impact players heading into the latter stages of games.

The decision now lies with the Switzerland-based International Football Association Board (IFAB).

Adam Reach is among the players to have reported issues with training in lockdown due to a lack of equipment. Players such as Jacob Murphy and Liam Palmer have taken to it more easily; Murphy is training with his twin, Cardiff City’s Josh, while Palmer has had full use of a home gym and garden.

Speaking earlier this month Wednesday’s head of sports science Tony Strudwick said: “The way the group have embraced the home-based work has been fantastic.

“One of the key things for us is to keep it fresh and not do the same thing every week. We try to make it competitive and put on loads of runs and gym sessions where the guys can get a score and challenge each other.

“It is a challenge because each player has a different constraints in terms of where they live and what they have got access to. Some players live in townhouses, others live in flats.

“We have got a generic programme for everybody where you are working on your speed, endurance, strength and power but then what we have had to do is create bespoke individual programmes to account for what players have got access to.”