Southampton: Saints return to training ahead of potential season restart

Southampton’s first-team returned to training on Tuesday ahead of the potential restart of the Premier League season.

Pictures released by the Saints media team via social media show senior players Michael Obafemi, James Ward-Prowse, Shane Long, Oriol Romeu and Nathan Redmond taking part in social distancing drills as manager Ralph Hasenhuttl looks on.

An article released by the Daily Echo today also details just what Saints’ first sessions back at Staplewood involved.

It says that training has seen players split into groups of five and they have to keep to strict distancing rules which include no contact with teammates.

The squad is also split in half, with one group training before the other yesterday.

To ensure that all rules are kept to well, each player is also reportedly fitted with a GPS system and the club can expect an inspection of their methods and training ground at any time.

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As the pictures from Saints’ Twitter account show, everyone had face coverings to help stop any infection from breaking out.

Ralph Hasenhuttl was said to be one of the Premier League managers who voiced a strong opinion on returning to training when all the top-flight bosses met last week.

Fitness is key to the way that his side’s play and the Austrian was presumably wanting to make sure that his men were all in top shape to see out the rest of the campaign.

Saints currently sit in 14th place in the Premier League table and still have nine games left this season.

They were due to play Norwich on the weekend that fixtures were initially postponed and this game could be an ideal one to get three points closer to the magic 40 mark.

Four home games remain against Arsenal, Manchester City, Brighton and Sheffield United, whilst trips to Watford, Everton, Manchester United and Bournemouth are still to be played along with the Norwich fixture.

It is most likely that Saints will be back in action in June, with the date of 12th June mentioned most recently for a potential restart.