Plans were in place for Millwall to furlough their players and coaching staff from the start of May but the South London club reversed that decision yesterday, according to a report from The Athletic.

English professional football has been suspended for nearly a month and will continue to be until further notice due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The delay to the season and the uncertainty over its conclusion have caused serious financial issues for clubs up and down the country, and the Championship is no different.

The EFL has provided a £50 million relief fund, while £125 million has been pledged by the Premier League, but clubs are still having to take action to ensure they can mitigate this crisis.

Leeds United, Brentford and Birmingham City have already agreed wage deferrals for their squads, while others have looked to use the government's job retention scheme.

According to The Athletic, Millwall had planned to put their players and coaching staff on the job retention scheme at the start of May, which would mean they were furloughed with the government covering 80% of their salary up to £2,500 per person per month.

However, it is understood that they reversed that decision yesterday.

There remains uncertainty over how clubs can interact with their players if they are furloughed, particularly in regard to training and fitness schemes.

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The Verdict

We are seeing clubs throughout the English football pyramid take action in an attempt to mitigate this crisis and it appears Millwall were set to do just that.

The reasoning behind the reversal of the decision is unknown but you feel it could be linked to the grey area surrounding players training if they're put on the scheme.

It will be interesting to see whether this U-turn is followed up by an agreed deal over wage deferrals or cuts.