Liam Buckley can’t be certain if Sligo Rovers’ overseas stars will return to the club.
New Zealand international Ryan De Vries was signed at the end of February and made one appearance before returning to Auckland for lockdown.
Teemu Penninkangas was four games into his stint at the Showgrounds but is back in Finland while Lewis Banks and Will Seymore are in England.
The majority of League of Ireland contracts end in late October and ironing out that issue if the league resumes will be a “minefield,” according to Buckley.
He said: “I get the impression from speaking with our players overseas that they want to come back.
“The way we left it a few months back was if they preferred to go home they could, we didn’t want to nail them down here.
“They appreciate the situation and they’re training away themselves. But I’m unaware where everyone will be contractually as most deals are up in October.”
Buckley continued: "80% of the contracts finish at the ‘end of season’ which is usually October, but will ‘end of season’ be extended into November, December or January?
“What happens then? If a player says that morally his contract was to the end of October and they don’t want to be here into the winter, I don’t know where that stands.
“For the foreign lads, there’s a possibility they could turn around and say it’s still too dangerous to travel.
“Until we get a start date, it’s one of these unanswered questions whether these lads will come back.
“If they feel it’s safer to stay at home, we have to respect it. But speaking with them, I get the impression they want to return.”
