Watford midfielder Tom Cleverley reckons the integrity of the Premier League will be threatened if too many stars from the BAME community refuse to play over coronavirus fears.
With figures in the UK suggesting black people could be four times more likely to die from COVID-19, a number of leading top-flight names decided against resuming training last week.
They include Watford’s influential skipper Troy Deeney, Chelsea’s France midfielder N’Golo Kante and Newcastle’s on-loan Tottenham defender Danny Rose.
And Deeney’s team-mate Cleverley admits if those understandable concerns remain unresolved - and more players stay away - then Project Restart, and the competitive element of the run-in, is in jeopardy.