Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson insists that he has felt “very safe” since his club returned to training amid the COVID-19 pandemic this week.
Juergen Klopp’s side began socially distanced training in small groups on Wednesday, as the English Premier League steps up its bid to resume the season in June.
Although all players and staff members at top-flight clubs have been tested for the virus, Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante and Watford striker Troy Deeney opted against returning to work because of fears that they would not be safe.
However, England midfielder Henderson is sure that everything has been done to keep players as safe as possible at Liverpool’s Melwood training base.
“I feel very comfortable with all the measures that the Premier League and the club have put in place, along with my teammates,” Henderson told Sky Sports on Thursday. “The testing, the temperature control, the social distancing and disinfecting everything has been at a really high level since we’ve been back. They’re doing everything they can to make it as safe as possible.”
“We do feel comfortable and that’s why we’re here training,” Henderson added. “I feel very safe at the training ground, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”
Last weekend, the Bundesliga returned to action and Henderson is hopeful that contact training and then a resumption of Premier League games is to follow.
“We want to follow the right protocol and follow the next steps,” Henderson said. “We want to start bigger group training and then hopefully start playing games again, sooner rather than later — whenever it’s safe to do so.”
Henderson said he understood the decision of players at other clubs who have stayed away.
“I fully respect their opinion. Everyone is in a different situation at home and, ultimately, if you don’t feel comfortable, you shouldn’t feel forced or pressured to come into work,” he said. “I fully respect the opinion of any players who don’t feel comfortable yet. If any of my teammates felt like that, I would respect and support them.”
With Liverpool 25 points clear at the top of the Premier League before the March shutdown, Henderson has been motivated to keep as fit as possible during the lockdown.
“My mindset hasn’t changed from where we left off. I always felt the season needed finishing whenever it was safe to do so,” he said. “I’ve stayed as fit as I can so that I’m ready when times come to perform at the highest level and finish the season off — that’s been our motivation.”
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or