Jose Mourinho has denied reports he wants to delay the restart of the Premier League and insists he is ‘desperate’ for the league to return ‘as soon as it is safe to do so’.
The Premier League season has been suspended since mid-March amid the coronavirus crisis but talks are continuing over a safe return to the sport, with club captains and managers joining medical professionals in a conference call on Wednesday to discuss safety protocols.
There had been reports that Mourinho was leading calls for the restart of the league to be delayed, though the Tottenham boss has now moved to clarify his stance after what he believes have been unfair reports.
“I don’t think my position in the meeting has been reflected fairly at all today in media reports. I have not asked for any delay,” Mourinho said in a statement (via Sky Sports).
“I want to train, and I am desperate for the Premier League to return as soon as it is safe to do so, particularly now we are seeing other leagues preparing to return to action.
“I am extremely proud of the way my players have maintained their fitness – they have shown great professionalism, passion and dedication.
“We have all been working extremely hard through remote squad training sessions and isolated running now the pitches are available to use again at the training centre.
“Every player has been extremely committed in terms of their individual work and now we wait for clearance to commence working in small groups again, which I will fully support.”
See also – Jose Mourinho’s most used XI throughout his trophy-laden career