Burnley defender Erik Pieters has admitted he ‘can’t wait’ for the Premier League to return, even if their first game is against Manchester City.
Football in England has been suspended for the best part of three months after chiefs of the Premier League and EFL elected to suspend their leagues while the country battled Coronavirus.
For much of that period, it had appeared it would not be returning as the number of deaths rose and infection rates refused to fall.
However, football has now been given the green light to return, with the Bundesliga showing the way to do it in Europe.
The Premier League is now set to resume on June 17th with a new calendar aimed at completing the remaining games as soon as possible.
Some footballers have aired their displeasure at the return, particularly as COVID-19 continues to spread, but Burnley’s Pieters is not one of them.
“I can’t wait. The ball will roll again. That’s what you do it for,” he told RTL Nieuws.
“I have seen the images from the Bundesliga. It looks crazy, and it also sounds strange. For example, you can clearly hear the trainer talking.
“What do I do when I score again? Maybe something in front of the camera, or as if I’m clapping for the supporters. I’m going to think about it.
“I can’t wait to start,” Pieters continues. “Let’s finish the competition now. Of course, income plays a role in the resumption.
“However, that should not outweigh health and human lives. But everything is closely monitored. If it can be done responsibly, why wouldn’t we do it?”
Before the season was brought to a halt, it had been another solid campaign for Burnley, who find themselves competing at the right end of the table once again.
They currently sit tenth in the table on 39 points, just four points outside of the top six with ten games remaining.
That means Europe is very much in their grasp and Pieters insists he, and everyone else at the club, is looking up.
“In view of our remaining program, we are looking up!” he added.
“To the places for European football. You must have that ambition.
“Moreover, no one yet knows what will happen to Manchester City. That could result in an extra European place.
“We will be talking about this period in 30 years. Nobody will forget this crazy phase. Hopefully, everything will go well, and we can end the season well.”
