The English Premier League will resume action on 17 June after a three-month break due to the covid-19 pandemic. With full training sessions now taking place, players are now able to look forward to getting back to business and for Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Rúben Neves it is a welcome return.
Neves and his team have enjoyed an excellent season under the guidance of Portuguese boss Nuno Espírito Santo. Wolves are currently 6th in the standings and have played one leg of the Europa League last-16 where they secured an encouraging 1-1 draw at Greeks Olympiacos.
Asked if he was looking forward to taking to the field again, former Porto man Neves said: “Of course. I’ve missed it a lot, the football. We’re finally back to our training sessions, what we like to do. I’m really happy with that.
“We just want to start playing. Of course, we have to focus on our fitness, get back to the sensations with the ball, and the sensations as a team. But we are looking forward to playing again in the Premier League as it’s something we miss a lot.”
“The gaffer [Nuno] made sure everything would go right in the session. We are really excited – even more so after the training session because we could finally play proper football. We’re just looking forward to the first game and try to do our best.”
“People can have the emotions at home”
There has been some debate across the sport about the validity of competing without fans, as games will be required to be played behind closed doors for the foreseeable future. For Neves, the power of football will generate much of the familiar experience for those watching on television.
“Football is the main sport we have, so even behind-closed-doors it’s important to have football back,” he said. “People can have the emotions, even at home, watching the game. It’s always good to have back the sensations of football – the goals, the emotions, everything.
“It’s really important for football to come back. Unfortunately, the situation is bad and we don’t know when we will get back to normal. We have to focus on the football and do our best without the fans.”
By Sean Gillen
