Southampton midfielder Oriol Romeu says he is ‘optimistic’ of the season returning even though it is ‘not 100% safe’.
The Premier League has been suspended for more than two months after league chiefs elected to pause the calendar to aid the fight against the Coronavirus outbreak.
Various deadlines for its return have been missed as the situation worsened, leading to calls from some for the league to be brought to a premature end.
That is an option that has been taken off the table completely, with most teams and league chiefs determined to find a way to end the campaign.
They took a big step towards achieving that this week as Phase 1 of the return began and saw players returning to training under stringent guidelines.
That has been the case for Southampton midfielder Oriel Romeu, who says he and his Saints teammates are optimistic about their chances of finishing the season.
“We are optimistic,” he told AS.com.
“It is going very well; the operation is being correct; they test us twice a week; there is a lot of control.
“It is not one hundred per cent safe, but I am optimistic.”
While seeing his professional career hit by the COVID-19 outbreak, Romeu has also had to deal with it as a businessman as the well.
The Southampton midfielder runs a gym in his hometown of Ulldecona, as well as a summer football school for children, which have both been closed down during the epidemic.
They are hoping to return now that Spain is easing their lockdown rules and Romeu insists he, and other business owners, will have to adapt to survive.
“The pandemic strikes, the gyms are quite affected, because it is a small space where a lot of people gather,” he added.
“We have been closed, but now when we go to the opening phase, we will have to control the capacity, clean, adapt.
“The businesses that are anchored to the past will have more problems; those who adapt quickly can grow.”
