FORMER Saint and current Everton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin admitted he is ready to play until August to complete the season.

The coronavirus pandemic led to professional football being postponed until the end of April.

UEFA also pushed Euro 2020 back a year to give domestic leagues the chance to finish during the summer.

Schneiderlin said: “They [the authorities] will take the best possible decision.

“Football comes second here. We're going to have to adapt.

“The club has given us the date of April 17 to come back to training. That seems to me maybe a little bit early. We are prepared to play until August if that is what is needed.

“I know that it will be difficult with certain players' contracts coming to an end in June.

“I hope that it will be postponed a little bit longer because then I would be able to play again this season.”

Schneiderlin, who left Saints for Manchester United in July 2015, also believes the UK is starting to understand the severity of the pandemic.

France, where Schneiderlin’s from, has been placed in lockdown since the beginning of last week in a bid to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been urging people to stay indoors but pictures over the weekend suggest not everyone is listening.

Schneiderlin added: “They said to me that it was a bit 'relaxed,' that they [Britain] had not really understood how grave this thing is. In the end, they decided.

“But like in France, everyone is not respecting the rules given out by the Prime Minister. It will take some time to enter people's heads a bit. 

“They are going to have to adapt and see that they don't have any other choice but to remain at home owing to how serious this is.”