What next as UEFA meet? Fitness update and Andrea Radrizzani's sensible priority - Leeds United Talking Points

What happens next?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson effectively put the country into lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic last Monday but United had already been training from home for the best part of a week.

There is, though, quite simply no telling quite how long this will all go on for or how the 2019-20 EFL campaign will be concluded.

The FA have already extended the professional season indefinitely whilst the EFL and Premier League have said their primary objective is to deliver a successful conclusion to the rest of the season by finishing the remainder of the campaign on the pitch.

It has, though, been a different story on the non-league front with all leagues below the National League divisions having been concluded early with results expunged and seasons declared null and void, extremely harsh on the likes of South Shields who were 12 points clear at the top of the Northern Premier League.

It remains to be seen what happens with the National League divisions with those competitions suspended indefinitely on Tuesday with the National League currently obtaining specialist legal advice and consulting regularly with The FA and other stakeholders, and saying they are committed to involving its member clubs in a pending decision on how best to conclude the 2019-20 season.

As it stands, the professional English game is suspended until at least April 30 but officials have already accepted that resuming action next month is not a realistic prospect.

Moreover, deputy chief medical officer for England Dr Jenny Harries admitted on Monday that it could be six months or longer before the country can get back to normal.

There have been a huge array of suggestions of how both the Premier League and EFL campaigns should be concluded with Leeds just nine games away from a potential return to the Premier League with the Whites top of the Championship and with a seven-point cushion in the division's automatic promotion spots.

Considering the advantage that Leeds hold and the sheer hard work that has gone into establishing that position, it would only seem fair to wait and finish what has been started, however long that takes.

Patience will clearly be required though immediately speaking UEFA will hold a meeting with its 55 members at 12 noon on Wednesday to discuss the potential rescheduling of matches.

Any dates suggested will likely be an educated guessing game but nevertheless all eyes and ears will be on that meeting for the latest developments in a very uncertain time though clearly above all else it is public health here that matters most.

Keeping fitness levels high

United's superb fitness levels have been a huge feature of their success under Whites head coach Marcelo Bielsa and the challenge now will be to continue that trend despite training from home.

Leeds' players have all had their own gym gear and equipment sent to their houses with a training programme and diet plan with players weighing in every morning and submitting body fat and weight details.

Whites midfield star Mateusz Klich offered an insight into his own daily routine during a remote press conference on Tuesday with the Pole champing at the bit to return and not even advocating calls for the season to be concluded as it is with United promoted with nine games still to play.

"We want to prove we can win the league after 46 games, not 37 and with the help of the coronavirus," said Klich.

“We we were talking and saying we’re probably going to be fitter than anyone else after this break."

Injuries, contracts and the bigger picture

It would be easy to forget the actual footballing matters at present but when Leeds were last in action, Adam Forshaw, Jean-Kevin Augustin and Kalvin Phillips were the club's three main injury concerns though Phillips' knee issue was only very minor.

Augustin, who had been sidelined with a hamstring problem, was also thought to be at least nearing a return and the enforced break obviously improves his prospects of having a bigger impact once United finally get back to the pitch. The same probably applies to January recruit Ian Poveda.

Forshaw, meanwhile, is continuing to recover from hip surgery but has said it is impossible to put an exact time frame on an estimated return.

But the possibility of the season spilling into the late summer and even early autumn clearly throws up all sorts of questions about contracts.

Starting at the top, Whites head coach Marcelo Bielsa is only contracted at the club until the end of the season but his desire to take the Whites up is blindingly obvious and the same goes for warrior defender Gaetano Berardi whose deal is also up at the end of June.

Then there are the club's loan players in Illan Meslier, Ben White, Jack Harrison, Jean-Kevin Augustin and Helder Costa with the latter joining last summer with a view to signing permanent at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.

Yet when that will be is quite frankly anyone's guess and it must be stressed again that there are quite simply far more important issues at present and United clearly should be applauded for their players, coaching staff and senior management taking a voluntary wage deferral for the foreseeable future.

The gesture was made to ensure hundreds of non-football staff at Elland Road and Thorp Arch can be paid and also to safeguard the business and Whites chairman Andrea Radrizzani hit the nail on the head this week in saying: "I am connected with Italy and the rest of the world monitoring a huge world crisis, which has resulted in a shocking number of deaths, unfortunately destined to grow.

“Every other discourse takes second place: first we must return life to normal, respecting governments, health institutions and their needs.”