Revealed: Leeds stars given return date by Bielsa as leaked plan emerges
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Revealed: Leeds stars given return date by Bielsa as leaked plan emerges

Wayne Veysey
Wayne Veysey

Founder & Managing Director AUTHORITY Former chief correspondent at Evening Standard, Goal and Press Association with nearly three decades in national, regional and digital news and sports journalism. Wayne directs the network’s news strategy and high-level operations. FOCUS Editorial direction for the 11-site network and newsroom management. THE BRIEF Wayne oversees the network’s editorial standards across the network. He provides the final sign-off on all headline scoops, ensuring content across all platforms meets the standards required for a high-velocity newsroom.

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Leeds United stars will be told by Marcelo Bielsa to take a holiday and return to full training in the middle of next month, Football Insider has learned.

Leaked plans from the EFL have revealed all 71 clubs in the Championship, League One and League Two have been told not to resume group training before 16 May.

Chairman Rick Parry has hinted that does not specify a season return date but strongly suggests plans for a resumption by mid-June with the aim of completing the season in August.

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa hunches over

It will mean cramming the fixtures, including the play-offs, into an eight-week, 56-day period and almost certainly playing them behind closed doors.

A Leeds source has told Football Insider that manager Bielsa is expected to tell his players to take their holiday time now, as there is likely to be only a short gap between this season ending and the new one beginning.

It means players will have the chance to recharge their batteries without adhering as strictly to the six-day-a-week training plans organised by the club.

United's stars have been training every day apart from Sunday during the lockdown over the last three weeks.

The new sketched-out plan is for them to return for 'pre-season' in just over five weeks' time, with a programme of around four weeks likely to then get them in top shape for the resumption of the campaign.

Elite clubs in the Championship and across the Football League are likely to take similar measures before group training can recommence.

The EFL has insisted clubs operate in line with UK government advice on the coronavirus pandemic.

The UK has been in lockdown for two-and-a-half weeks and it is expected that will be extended until the end of April.

In a boost for Leeds and West Brom, the EFL is "hopeful of a conclusion in the summer months" to the current season.

They are both well placed for automatic promotion with nine matches of the campaign remaining.

In other Leeds United news, a blockbuster club deal is on hold even though the contract has been 'signed'.

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