Gary Neville issues verdict on when he thinks Championship season will restart
Gary Neville has stated that he believes Leeds United will be able to restart their Championship campaign “pretty quickly” after the Premier League resumes.
The top flight is set to kick things off again on June 17th, while the EFL are still yet to solidify a date for the second tier.
There is confidence that the Championship will be completed on the pitch, although a vote on the matter has been pushed back until June 8th.
And Neville has suggested that any restart is likely to happen fairly soon after the Premier League sets the precedent, as well as reiterating just how important a resumption in action would be for Leeds.
Speaking on The Football Show (Sky Sports, Friday 9am), he said: “I do think the Championship will play and I do think that will be something that happens pretty quickly after the Premier League.
“We all know how important it is to the likes of Leeds and West Brom, who are at the top of that league. Everything they have invested, not just financially but emotionally to get into the Premier League, how important it is for them as clubs.
“There is a lot to look forward to in terms of football not just at the Premier League level but at the Championship level, and the play-offs likely at League One and Two as well.”
Neville’s confidence is reassuring, and closely follows comments made by Charlton Athletic sporting director Steven Gallen.
The Addicks chief told The Athletic that’s side are preparing for a return date of around June 20th earlier this week, the weekend after the Premier League will begin again.
At this stage, it seems fairly certain that Leeds will be able to play their nine remaining fixtures as initially planned, and the real question has been “when” rather than “if” ever since the EFL reiterated it’s preference for getting things wrapped up on the pitch.
Neville’s claim may not be definitive proof of anything, but it does at least go along with a broader rhetoric that the Championship should be back up and running again sooner rather than later.
In other Leeds United news, Reliable journo details who Bielsa will start up front for rest of season with JKA looking sharp.