Football clubs in England told: No training before May 16 and 56 days needed to complete the season

Football League chairman Rick Parry says they are determined to get the games completed

Leeds United are top of the Championship table, leading West Bromwich Albion by one point with nine games remaining. Reuters

Football League clubs in England have been advised not to restart training until at least the middle of May.

EFL chairman Rick Parry has written to all 72 league clubs with a series of recommendations for the rest of the football season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Parry believes they will need a further 56 days to complete the remaining fixtures, and "assumes" they will be played behind closed doors.

The Football League remain hopeful the matches and the season will be completed, but no players should return to training until May 16 at the earliest.

Parry wrote: "I know this has been said, but I do believe it is important to reiterate that our primary objective remains to conclude the 2019/20 season when it is safe to resume playing and the options for a return are being kept under constant review.

"Whenever the decision is taken that it is safe to resume, we currently estimate that the League will require approximately 56 days to complete the outstanding matches."

The Football League are intent on completing the season, and save the possibility of legal action if clubs are denied promotion or the chance to avoid relegation.

Leeds United currently top the Championship with nine games to go, and would miss out on a huge windfall if they were unable to get promotion to the Premier League.