Report: Arsenal to partially reopen training facility on Monday

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Arsenal players have been given the green light to return to training for the first time since news broke that manager Mikel Arteta contracted COVID-19 in March.

The north London club plans to give players limited access to its London Colney training ground when the facility reopens on Monday, according to a club spokesperson's statement to Nick Ames of the Guardian.

The statement read: "Players will be permitted access to our London Colney training grounds next week. Access will be limited, carefully managed and social distancing will be maintained at all times. All Colney buildings remain closed. Players will travel alone, do their individual workout and return home."

The facility was closed 44 days ago when Arteta's positive test was revealed, and led to the Premier League postponing the season indefinitely. The Spaniard has since recovered from the virus.

The partial reopening of the facility will feature several strict rules Arsenal will enforce to ensure the safety of players, coaches, and other staff members.

In an effort to adhere to government guidelines over social distancing, only a limited number of players will be allowed at the ground and group training sessions will be prohibited.

Although it's unclear how many people will be allowed at the facility at one time, Arsenal can make full use of their 10 practice pitches, which have been run by a skeleton staff since March to avoid overcrowding.

It's understood the decision to partially reopen the training ground was made after Alexandre Lacazette, Nicolas Pepe, Granit Xhaka, and David Luiz were reportedly caught ignoring physical distancing guidelines last week, which led to a warning from the club about their responsibilities, Ames reports.