Jose Mourinho has thrown his support behind Jurgen Klopp’s comments over the upcoming international break, agreeing that clubs have a right to “protect themselves” and their players.
International fixtures are due to go ahead at the end of the month, potentially increasing the risk of COVID-19 infections across squads in the Premier League.
“In this moment I don’t want to speak. I want to see what is going to happen. Is Brazil v Argentina going to be played in South America or is it going to be played for example in London? I don’t know,” the Portuguese told football.london. “Let’s see what is going to happen, where the matches are going to be played and of course the clubs have the right to protect themselves because Jurgen [Klopp] is right, the clubs pay the players.”
The Liverpool manager suggested that his side would be prepared to prevent their international stars from leaving for international duty due to the ongoing nature of the pandemic.
As things stand, the idea that the players would have to self-isolate in a hotel upon their return for 10 days is hardly a prospect Premier League clubs will be looking forward to considering how it might hamper their plans in April.
Though the safety guidelines in place should be strictly followed, if room has been given for sides to prevent their players from going to their international teams, we couldn’t blame the managers for wanting to exercise the option.