West Ham manager David Moyes says he does not expect to have any more than three weeks to work with his players before the season resumes.
The Premier League are hopeful that player could begin again - behind closed doors - in June so long as government coronavirus guidelines allow and remain committed to finishing the campaign.
There has been widespread concern that, with players only limited to exercising outside their homes once a day and not being able to train as usual, rushing back and cramming games in will lead to injuries.
With the changes to this season certain to have an impact on the next campaign, there will be little time to allow clubs to get back to anywhere near match fitness before the Premier League football resumes.
“I think that four weeks would be ideal," Moyes told beIN SPORTS’s Keys & Gray Show, available on YouTube.
"But I think three weeks will be the maximum we get.”
“I don’t see it being like a close season where players have a good holiday for three or four weeks. I think the players will have kept themselves in better condition so I would hope that we could start a bit quicker.
“Everybody’s now talking about the injuries we’re liable to pick up either during the three week preparation time or during the period where it looks like we’ll have to play an awful lot of games in a short period of time.”
Moyes returned to east London in late December following Manuel Pellegrini's sacking. The Hammers are only out of the bottom three on goal difference as it stands but, having brought Jarrod Bowen and Thomas Soucek into the club in January, Moyes is seeing signs of progress.
“I’m really enjoying my time back at West Ham," he added. "I think we’ve started positively enough.
"I think that we’ve shown a lot of good signs in January have given us that opportunity to improve.”
