Juventus players returned to individual training at the team’s sports centre in Turin on Tuesday. Meanwhile, club’s star Cristiano Ronaldo is in two-week quarantine after returning to Italy.
Welsh international Aaron Ramsey was the first to return to training while captain Giorgio Chiellini followed him shortly with fellow Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci, wearing a black face mask, arriving later in the afternoon.
“After a day of tests and exams carried out yesterday at J Medical, some of the Juventus players started training at the Continassa Juventus Training Center, where they officially began their recovery to regain competitive form,” said Juve in a statement on their official website.
“Please note that according to the decree from the ‘Ministero dell’Interno’ on May 3, these training sessions will take place on an individual basis and with staggered arrivals to allow full compliance with the regulations in force,” it added.
Notably, the Italian government had said that from Monday (May 4) citizens can exercise in parks and athletes involved in individual sport can begin training again. The permission saw the football teams get a green signal to resume training, offering a glimmer of hope that the 2019-20 season might yet be saved.
But sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora warned that training in groups must wait until May 18, and it remains uncertain whether matches can restart as the country battles a pandemic which has killed over 29,000.
Champions Juventus are leading Serie A, one point ahead of Lazio, as they target a ninth consecutive Scudetto.
However, Serie A remains suspended since March due to the coronavirus crisis that has killed more than 29,000 and has infected over 2 lakh people in Italy so far, as per the data of Worldometer.
(With inputs from AFP)