Football news, transfer rumours and gossip - Man Utd exec Woodward unsure over Premier League return

Ed Woodward has said there is ‘huge uncertainty’ over whether the Premier League will restart. There is a meeting for the Premier League set to take place on Friday, and the Telegraph reports they will discuss whether the league should approve plans to restart on June 8. Woodward is reported to have said United are ‘not hugely happy’ over the prospect of playing behind closed doors.

Paper Round’s view: Until there is a vaccine, an effective treatment or something like herd immunity in the United Kingdom, games behind closed doors will have to be the standard operating procedure. As for a June restart, it looks both ambitious and impractical, and probably dangerous, but there is every indication that clubs will attempt to make it happen.

The Mirror reports that some Premier League footballers are unsure of their safety should they return to work in June. So far, 63% of medical professionals who have died in the UK from Covid-19 have been BAME, and some stars in that demographic are particularly worried about contracting the disease themselves, and passing it on to older family members.

Paper Round’s view: It is too early to say why those in the BAME demographic are disproportionately suffering from Covid-19, though there are reasonable speculations about why the vulnerability exists. Until more is known, players have every reason to be concerned not just for their own safety but that of their friends and family who might be at particular risk.

Spanish newspaper Marca report with some surprise that Paul Pogba’s clause with Manchester United means that his contract does not necessarily end in 2021. The paper had thought that it would motivated United to sell this summer, but because they can extend by a further year unilaterally, Pogba’s current club feel under no pressure to sell, though the previous asking price of 180 million euro is likely to have dropped.

Paper Round’s view: With transfer fees and wage budgets likely significantly reduced for the next season or two - at least - Pogba might find himself best rewarded by staying at Old Trafford for the next few years. Whether or not he and Mino Raiola will settle for such a thing is uncertain, but the coronavirus pandemic has thrown previously assumed outcomes into disarray.

Manchester United and Chelsea are gearing up for a battle over Italian striker Federico Chiesa, according to the Sun. The 22-year-old forward plays across the front three and has 29 goals since making his debut for Fiorentina in 2016. The paper believes that United want someone ahead of Jesse Lingard and Daniel James, while Chelsea need someone who can step up in place of Olivier Giroud, Willian and Pedro, who could all leave.

Paper Round’s view: Chiesa clearly has potential and is a promising player for any club that gets hold of him. However, young Italians have rarely adjusted well to life in England, and if either club makes a move for him then they should be conscious of making an extra effort to help him assimilate.