Green light for Villarreal to resume training

Word has come down that Primera and Segunda clubs will be resuming training shortly. Villarreal’s press release says:

“It is planned for Villarreal CF first-team players to return to the Villarreal CF Training Ground (Ciudad Deportiva) this Thursday for lone training sessions after approval from the Health Ministry. On Tuesday and Wednesday, medical tests will take place after a month and half without competing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The training sessions will take place on two distinct pitches and there cannot be more than six players on the pitch at one time.”

Presumably those medical tests will include testing for the coronavirus, and what will happen if a La Liga player test positive no one knows (at least two players in the Bundesliga have tested positive). But the plan is to start with solo training, then train in groups and eventually return to competition sometime in June.

All this is , of course, going to be behind closed doors. Villarreal’s training grounds will not be open to anyone except players, team officials (including medical staff), and La Liga representatives.

It’s easy to understand why the league wants to play again—all that TV money—but we’ll see how the players react to this. Sr.Roig has said no Villarreal player will be forced to return if they are unwilling to.