Sheffield Wednesday keeper thinks Covid-19 could have been rife in football already

Dawson has emerged as Garry Monk’s number one goalkeeper in the latter half of the 2019/20 season, and is three games away from having played more games this campaign than last time out (26).

Wednesday returned to phased training on Monday as they took one step closer to getting back out on the field in the Championship, and Dawson – who will turn 25 in July – says that he enjoyed being out there again after more than two months away from Middlewood Road.

Speaking in an interview to BBC Look North, the ‘keeper said, "It is nice to get back outside on the grass, diving about it... It has been really good to see the lads again, the gaffer and a few of the staff and to get back to some sort of normality, although it is far from the type of training that we left six, seven weeks ago.

"It looks very different but it is generally nice to be back in there and catching a ball again."

Two people at Hull City tested positive for COVID-19 – out of 1014 in the league – it was confirmed over the weekend, and Dawson says he can’t see a jump in numbers when contact training starts again.

"I can't help but think that, if it has been around for as long as they say it has in the last year, I tend to think that it must have gone round most of the football clubs already,” he added.

"We are in such close proximity day to day and if it has been around for as long as they say it has, I sort of feel like lot of footballers will have already had it. They talk about asymptomatic things and stuff like that. I think obviously we are young, fit men in general… I genuinely think most footballers will have had it at some point.

"I would be very surprised if it breaks out and there's suddenly hundreds test positive when we move to contact. I don't really see that and hopefully that is the case and we can get moving."

Meanwhile, touching on what the break could have done for the Owls as they look to put their poor start to 2020 behind them, the shot-stopper added, "It is no secret that at the time that it happened we were in a bit of a tough time… It has given everyone a chance to step away and reset and go again.

"If we can make the most of it and when it does start again go in fresh and with fresh minds and fresh bodies, the lads can really give it a good go until the end of the season and hopefully that will mean picking up plenty of points on the pitch."

Dawson has kept Keiren Westwood out of the goalposts over the last few months, and will be hoping to keep his place when games resume one again.

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Stay safe and take care. Thank you. Joe.