Football news - How long will football take to return to normal? Will the game be changed forever?

Arguably the game's greatest ever player is sceptical. Lionel Messi despondently admitted he believes life, and football, will "never be the same again" as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Barcelona star's thoughts come on the eve of his side's return to full training on Monday, having been forced to train in smaller groups until now, with La Liga matches scheduled to return on June 11.

We have seen the marked difference in the first major European league to get back up and running again - the Bundesliga - in comparison to the action before the pandemic. Is this the new norm? When can we expect high intensity matches, in full stadiums again? And how will footballers' day-to-day lives be affected?

There has been much fanfare about the pending return of the Premier League, but alas it will only be on our TV screens. The Premier League is in talks with several technology companies to look at how they can enhance the match-watching coverage in a behind-closed-doors reality, including using artificial crowd noise and ways to simulate full stadia, but a virtual stadium is as good as it is going to get for some time.

La Liga, Serie A and the Premier League will all join the Bundesliga in the resumption of their respective seasons this month. It was initially assumed that this would all be without fans, but in Spain and Italy, where strict lockdowns ensured they remain on a sharps downwards curve, there are plans to restart with stadiums operating at a third of their capacity, with fans spread out in the stands to observe social distancing.

There are also talks for those in attendance to increase in number by the end of the year, with January targeted as a possible date for stadiums gates to flow at full capacity once more.

In England, there are no such plans for a speedy return, given the virus is still much more prevalent, but Richard Masters, the Premier League’s chief executive, confirmed it was looking at proposals to allow fans to attend live games from September onwards. Such a proposition is very much still an idea.

To prevent fans gathering outside stadiums, police forces in England have requested that some games be played at neutral venues. This is likely only to be a short term issue, however. Liverpool, having waited so long for a first Premier League crown, face the prospect of clinching the title away from the city, regardless of when they do get the points to seal the triumph.

With all these league games to fit in, and a small window in which to finish domestic competition, the Champions League and Europa League has been put on the backburner, for now.

It is almost certain that the Champions League and Europa League will return after domestic league seasons have finished. The Premier League is hoping to be finished within weeks of restarting, with the FA Cup final on the weekend of August 1. It currently seems likely that the European tournaments would resume around this time, if it is finished.

How it can be finished remains a mystery. Many countries in Europe currently impose a 14-day quarantine on new arrivals from overseas, though such restrictions could potentially be lifted by August.

Travelling all over Europe, in the sheer numbers involved with putting on a European competition match, seems particularly difficult to stomach for many in the current climate. With coronavirus having spread so quickly throughout the world, it is expected that curbing our travelling ways may have to be a long-term focus, for everyone.

And a potential European Super League - a competition pitting Europe's elite clubs against each other on a more regular basis - may be a casualty of such a change.

Months of very little revenue coming in will have a devastating effect on businesses the world over, and football clubs are no different.

Football clubs are notoriously run by owners looking for quick success, ploughing all their club's coffers into a squad to get said team promoted, into Champions League qualification places, or on to win titles.

Other than the money-making machine that is Manchester United, the majority of clubs from top to bottom in the footballing pyramid will be making a substantial loss at the moment. Should they have to pay back any broadcasting money, the situation could get a whole lot worse.

Less money coming in means clubs will have to significantly curtail their transfer spending. The days of huge transfer deals being a regular occurrence certainly look to be over for now. For certain clubs it may take many years to get back to a position of power in the market.

We have seen players having to think twice bout embracing when celebrating, but that is only for now, right? Until a vaccine is found, if one ever is discovered, footballers' lives will certainly become much less enjoyable.

The tests will have to be a regular thing, for as long as the game is getting positive tests, and isolation for those who test positive will be a must.

Tech companies are again coming to the fore, with GPS used by clubs to keep contact in training to a minimum. Even in the warm up, clubs are looking at how they can keep players apart as much as possible.

Little changes like that, once embedded into every day training, could become the norm, without players even noticing.