Artell says players & staff health have to be paramount with the risk of catching Covid-19 still there.

Crewe Alexandra manager David Artell has told the club’s official web-site that he wouldn’t put any of his players in an ‘uncomfortable position’ if they did not want to play if football resumes this summer.

The Alex boss says the uncertainty surrounding player safety and the high costs of testing makes football in the lower leagues unlikely to resume, but he stresses that the potential of playing again behind closed doors is not off the table in discussions with the EFL.

Artell told crewealex.net: “The prospect of playing again behind closed doors is still on the table but there would be a lot of conditions to go along with that. The Premier League may have the resources to fulfil that but the revenue for EFL clubs comes mainly from the supporters coming through the gates and central funding.

“There would the logistics of it all and the cost of testing the players and staff. The clubs cannot have any additional costs, especially if there is no revenue coming in.

“I wouldn’t want to push any of my players into doing anything they are not comfortable with. I just wouldn’t and I would think there are a lot of managers and owners at clubs who will feel the same.

He added: “The risk is there. The death rate for under 45s may be low but there is still that risk. At the moment, we would be asking players to play with the risk of contracting a killer disease which could kill them or kill a member of their family.”