Parker: Fulham players scared of exercising outside

 

Fulham coach, Scott Parker has said some of his players are ‘scared’ of exercising outside due to the fear of contracting coronavirus.

After the relaxation of lockdown, football clubs, including the Cottagers, have been allowed to use their training facility, but their players had been training individually at home during the lockdown period due to the deadly virus.

Fulham has been trying in a lot of ways to help the squad cope with the situation with the use of psychologists who are available and ordering gym equipment.

While stating that he is managing his player’s state of mind is a ‘fragile situation,’ the manager said the whole situation is scary for a lot of them, with the young ones and the foreign players struggling to cope with it.

Speaking with The Times, Parker said there is a need to work out where they are mentally, and their comfort is a high priority as well.

Speaking further on their mental states, the former England International revealed that he has been communicating regularly with them on zoom, but admitted that it had been a tough period.

While noting that though players were not allowed to go out during the lockdown period, Parker said some of them were not comfortable going out as well, adding that there will be some facility in their rooms for exercising. He also said that majority of them are going out exercising.

He said that the situation had brought fears in the mind of those that couldn’t go outside to exercise because they are scared of being infected.

Still, on how they are managing their minds, Parker described the situation as fragile, which he and the staff of the club are fully aware of and must respect.

Fulham is aiming to return to the Premier League after a season out of it. The currently occupies the third position in the Championship log.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected sports calendar, had led to football and other sports being postponed indefinitely as part of the strategy used to contain the novel virus.

On the outbreak, Parker, who had played for West Ham and Chelsea during his playing days, admitted that the situation has made him step back and think about health, which takes precedence over any other things, adding that the return of football action remains uncertain.

Although he admitted that football is a massive part of his life and other stakeholders, but not at this time.

 

 

Written by: Oladipupo Mojeed