TOM CLEVERLEY warns Project Restart is in “jeopardy” if a host of players test positive for Covid-19 in the next phase.
And some Premier League bosses — including Leicester’s Brendan Rodgers — want football’s return to be put back until the end of next month.
While Chelsea manager Frank Lampard insists the Prem can only return if it is safe for all players and staff.
Watford were missing SIX players due to Covid-19 — including skipper Troy Deeney, who was absent due to family health fears, and Adrian Mariappa who has tested positive for the virus — when training started this week.
The Premier League wanted to return on June 12 but there is an acceptance now that a week later is more likely.
But now some coaches want more time which would push the timetable of games right up to the Uefa deadline of August 3.
Prem clubs are set to vote this week on moving on to phase two — full-contact training — and Hornets’ former England midfielder Cleverley declared: “Phase one is as safe as going to the supermarket.
“But in phase two, you could be rubbing shoulders with 15, 20 guys on the same day.
“So if we get into phase two and there’s a sudden spike in positive cases, that puts the whole thing in jeopardy.
“Let’s wait for the information and the schedule on phase two and see if the players are happy with it.”
The initial rounds of testing at Watford revealed Mariappa and two staff members had contracted the disease.
Two more players stayed away from training because family members or close friends had also tested positive, while Deeney and two others opted not to join in phase one because of health concerns.
Cleverley added: “There was a lot of shock, especially for me.
“I am really close to Mariappa. I speak to him most days. We have been doing seriously tough two-hour sessions on an online workout.
“For someone who tested positive doing that sort of workout really did shock and worry me.
“Today I have been tested and you think that could be me, I have no clue that I have coronavirus.”
Chelsea have allowed N’Golo Kante to stay away from training because of fears for his safety — and are ready to let him skip the rest of the season.
And Lampard told the BBC: “We want to play what remains of this season but the most important thing is when it is safe and healthy for players and staff.
“We have seen much more important things in the world than football and that has been a bit of a reset for all of us.”
Manchester City became the final Prem club to start phase one training yesterday, while results from the latest round of player testing are due to be announced today.
Former Arsenal star and Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson said: “What happens if more players test positive in the next three or four weeks?
“It’s a real dodgy one. We have to respect these players, they have families.”
