Tottenham striker Kane on coronavirus: Restart Premier League by June or aim for new season

Jose Mourinho helps prepare packages of essential goods to deliver to the elderly of Enfield, England.

Tottenham striker Harry Kane has said the Premier League season should be scrapped if clubs cannot play matches by June. 

The coronavirus has decimated the world of sport, with football leagues across the world suspended amid the worldwide pandemic.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has delivered the stark warning  that this season could be "lost" if football does not resume by the end of June.

And Kane has said there will come a time when the Premier League may have to think about resuming for the next season.

"I know the Premier League will do everything it can to finish the season," Kane said, while also suggesting he could leave Tottenham in the future.  

"There needs to be a point where enough is enough. Probably the limit for me is the end of June.

"Playing into July or August and pushing next season back, I don't see too much benefit in that.

"Obviously I don't know too much about behind the scenes and financially. If the season's not completed by the end of June we need to look at the options and just look forward to next season."

If the Premier League season cannot be finished, Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan has said the title should still be awarded to Liverpool, with the league leaders 25 points clear of the reigning champions.

"For me, that would be OK, yes," Gundogan said, after being asked whether Liverpool should be handed their first top-flight title for 30 years should the season not be completed.

"You have to be fair as a sportsperson," he added, while conceding that it was a difficult decision for football authorities given the impact that the cancellation of the season would have at both ends of the table.

With many countries either in a state of lockdown or having imposed social distancing measures, the prospect of football in full stadiums would appear an unlikely scenario in the weeks and months ahead. Ceferin admits that when football does resume, it may have to be done behind closed doors, simply to get fixtures played as quickly as possible.

"It's difficult to imagine all the games behind closed doors, but right now we don't even know if we will resume, with or without fans," Ceferin said.

"If there are no other alternatives, it would still be better to conclude the leagues. I can say that I'm not thinking about staging the European cup finals behind closed doors."

Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho and his coaching staff will put players through their paces from home starting Monday as the club holds live video training sessions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Spurs players are in self-isolation with Britain in lockdown and the Premier League suspended until at least April 30. The players so far have been working through their own individual training programmes designed by the coaching and sports science teams, and England midfielder Harry Winks said they were still adjusting to the new routine.

"It's a bit strange for all of us, but I've got my head around it," Winks told the club's website. "We've all been given a schedule, but it's flexible, we can do it in our own time.

"So, for instance, I might have a lie in one day, but then I'll work later. The important thing is to get it done."

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

Source: espn.co.uk