Derek McInnes: Aberdeen will assume August restart until told differently
- Published
Derek McInnes warned Aberdeen fans that there could be "a bit of pain" regarding the club's finances
Derek McInnes will prepare his Aberdeen players for a return to competitive action on 1 August even though that is the very earliest matches could resume.
Scotland's national clinical director Jason Leitch told BBC Scotland that the date should only be pencilled in as it depends on coronavirus easing further.
The Scottish FA has said clubs can restart training from 11 June.
"We'll work towards the 1 August deadline until somebody tells us differently," said manager McInnes.
"We've got to take the opportunity to get back," McInnes added.
"By the time we do get back on 11 June it will be the best part of three months since we've set eyes on them [the players]."
Sports minister Joe Fitzpatrick met sporting bodies on Friday and said that games could be played behind closed doors from 1 August but only if Scotland is in at least phase two of the plan to take the country out of lockdown.
However, speaking on Off the Ball on BBC Radio Scotland, Professor Leitch said: "I'm not sure people should write August on their calendars just yet.
"There's a long way to go before 1 August. With a fair wind and the virus behaving itself and of course the population behaving itself - there is reward for keeping a distance of two metres and not mixing your families because if you don't we'll go backwards - I think you could put in a shaded pencil 1 August.
"But don't get overexcited. That's what we told the sporting bodies yesterday but that doesn't mean we shouldn't prepare for that."
'Hurdles to overcome'
Referring to the sports minister's announcement on Friday, McInnes told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound: "We've taken a huge step forward in the last few days. We're grateful for the news we've had.
"There is going to be a huge emphasis on social distancing. I think it will be very restricted in terms of numbers, there will be hurdles to overcome with the practicalities.
"At least we're starting to think about training sessions again and working with our players.
"We have furloughed the majority of players until 10 June. We will give them a return-to-train programme. It will probably be three groups of maybe eight going back in, some of the development lads and first-team players."
McInnes, who said there was "no chance" of adding to his playing squad in the current climate, added: "If it [return date of 1 August] is pushed back further down the line then we'd revisit how the programme looks.
"Working back from 11 June it gives us seven-and-a-half weeks before that August start day, which gives us more than enough time to get the players moving again.
"The likelihood is we will not be able to get friendly games so a lot of these things will have to be mimicked."