David Moyes confirms West Ham are set to play friendly matches ahead of Premier League restart
David Moyes has confirmed West Ham will take part in friendly matches as they look to build their match fitness ahead of the Premier League's restart on June 17.
No Premier League football has been played since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the three-month absence leading to concerns over the players' fitness levels.
Clubs stepped up their preparations last week after the government gave the green light to begin contact training, and they can now be taken further after the Premier League announced on Tuesday that friendly matches are now permitted.
While it remains to be seen who West Ham will face, Moyes has confirmed they are looking to arrange a number of matches over the coming two weeks.
"We will be playing some friendlies. We'll do everything we can to prepare for the return of the Premier League," Moyes told the club's official website.
"If you consider this a pre-season period, most teams would have had a few friendlies under their belts.
"One thing all the clubs are not going to get is a lot of game practice, so I think getting the opportunity to do that means we can play a couple of games behind closed doors."
Matches will be refereed by club coaching staff while venues must not be more than 90 minutes away.
"We're all following the guidelines while we're in a position where we don't want anything to go wrong in the lead up to the restart of the Premier League," Moyes added
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