Crewe Alexandra manager David Artell says that contract talks with those players going out of contract this summer have had to be put on hold for the time being. The Alex boss admits that it has been difficult to move forward and plan accordingly with all the uncertainly surrounding the economy and the possibility of football in the lower leagues not resuming this summer.

The Alex boss stresses that now the 2019/20 league season would have been completed by now, with just the play-offs to be resolved, the transfer market is technically open - but Artell says clubs are in no rush to do any business until we know what the future holds this summer.

The Crewe boss said via video link: “The season would virtually be completed by now but I am not in a position to talk to those out of contract players about their futures because we don’t know if the season will be completed. We don’t know if the season will be terminated or when supporters will be allowed back into the stadiums.

“We still don’t know what division we are going to be in, so with all that uncertainty, I cannot tell the players one way or another and they understand. I think it is going to be a bumpy ride for footballers and clubs for a while as they cut their cloth accordingly.

The boss added: “The market is open but it isn’t really open because I don’t think there will be many clubs wanting to do business. That isn’t just our club because we will all be in the same boat with all the uncertainty. All we can do is wait and I know that is not ideal for a lot of footballers but we are in unprecedented times.”