Liverpool are preparing for a shorter break between seasons due to the disruption to the current campaign caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, manager Juergen Klopp has said.
The Premier League hopes to restart the season -- which usually ends in May -- next month. With nine rounds of fixtures remaining, the season will spill over into at least July, while the 2020-21 campaign was set to begin on Aug. 8.
"Today we started with training, good things, not the highest intensity but the boys look in good shape," Klopp told Liverpool's website https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/396344-jurgen-klopp-interview-the-boss-discusses-day-one-back-at-melwood.
"We don't know exactly how long we have, but we have some time to prepare the rest of this season and already the next season because I don't think there will be a massive break between the two.
"We don't know exactly but we should prepare for a rather shorter break between the two seasons."
The league has set June 12 as a tentative date for a restart of action and Klopp said players would be thrust straight into action without playing friendly matches.
"It's a pre-season for us. We don't know how long and we will not have test games or friendlies," he added.
Clubs are scheduled to meet next week when the league will decide on whether they can move to the next phase of training that involves contact.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
