Former Bolton striker Nathan Blake has hit out at plans for football to return amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Premier League’s ‘Project Restart’ took a major step this week with top-flight players returning to training while following strict guidelines.

And while the bottom two tiers of the EFL look set to end early – Wanderers in League One included – Championship clubs are also by and large keen to complete their season if it all possible with nine games left to play.

Stringent testing is in place but the virus does however pose a greater risk to people of a BAME origin, the Office for National Statistics saying black men and women are nearly twice as likely to die from Covid-19 as white people in England and Wales.

“I wouldn’t be putting myself at risk,” Blake told BBC Radio Wales.

“And I wouldn’t expect any fans to put themselves at risk and come and watch a game.

“This is entertainment at the end of the day and all this “the show must go on” and all that nonsense – it’s easy to say, it’s a little different in reality though.

“So for me, black people are clearly affected in a different way to white people or our white counterparts.

“I wouldn’t be thinking about it (returning) at all.

“I would be expecting someone to come to me and guarantee my safety and we’re not there yet.

“It’s a case of life and death first and foremost and I don’t see why anyone should be asked to play and go back to training until you know for sure that this virus isn’t being contracted by people and being passed on to other people.”