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No reason to rush Euro 2020 play-offs – Johnny Russell

29-Mar-2020 09:00:56 | Four-Four-Two

Johnny Russell has urged UEFA not to risk Scotland Euro 2020s dreams by rushing Steve Clarkes side back into action too soon.The Sporting Kansas City striker was hoping to be part of the team taking on Israel on Thursday before the play-off semi-final was shelved in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.UEFA chiefs have now pencilled in June for the rearranged fixture but Scottish Football Association chief executive Ian Maxwell has branded those plans unrealistic.Wish we were here.The fact we aren't, however, means that we are protecting the NHS and saving lives.It also means that when we're all back at Hampden singing Flower of Scotland, it will be all the more special. pic.twitter.com/Ll3d0dnqOE Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) March 26, 2020And now frontman Russell has called on tournament bosses to take their time before rescheduling the crucial Hampden clash.The former Dundee United and Derby ace fears Clarkes men may be left undercooked if they are not allowed the chance to warm up with their clubs before reporting for international duty.Speaking from his home in the United States where he has been training alone after Major League Soccer was placed in lockdown Russell told the PA news agency: Its weird.I remember thinking on Thursday, Today were supposed to be playing one of the biggest games weve had in a generation but Im just sitting on my couch.Obviously health comes first so hopefully well get this sorted then we find the time for football after that."The world has changed in recent weeks and months and football, rightly, has had to take a step back as our wonderful, brave and selfless NHS staff step-up their efforts to tackle a far greater opponent." Read: https://t.co/AXhU03ZjLk#ClapForOurCarers | #ClapForNHS pic.twitter.com/QY069S3cg8 Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) March 26, 2020I think they should and I hope they will give us enough time after the shutdown to make sure were all back at full pelt.I cant see them rushing back into these play-offs. Theres no reason for that now that the Euros have been put back a year. Whats the reason to rush it?Obviously we want to get the game played but we also want everyone competing to be at their best, fully fit and raring to go.Ive no idea when they will finally schedule it but Id imagine theyd give us at least a couple of games for our clubs first.America has become the pandemics latest hotbed, with more cases now reported in the US than any other country.It is a worrying time for Russell, 29, and his wife Nadine, who only gave birth to their son Julius two months ago.Johnny Russell in action for Scotland (Adam Davy/PA)But the 14-cap attacker is trying to make the most of a bad situation.Im over here with the wife and my two wee ones, he said. My wee girl Blake actually turned three last week, so it wasnt the best party for her, while my wee boy is only two months old.Its a difficult time but to be honest, Im getting to spend time that normally I wouldnt get to spend with them so Im trying to make the best of the situation.Obviously I want to get back playing but at the same time, Im not complaining about getting to spend this extra time with my family.Julius was born on January 20 back in Scotland but I had to fly back to the US three days later for the start of pre-season, so I had so little time with him. #BabyJohnnyRussell is here!Congrats, Russell fam! pic.twitter.com/WyhmM2eXlu Sporting KC (@SportingKC) January 21, 2020We only got back together as a family about 10 days before this all kicked off, so we timed that pretty well. If wed have left it any longer I wouldnt have got to see my family for however long this all lasts, because they have put restrictions on flights from the UK in place.In a way, because its just the four of us out here, it makes it a little easier as we dont have family nearby to go visit. With the wee man being so young, we dont want to take any chances so were just keeping ourselves to ourselves.I wouldnt say there is a sense of panic about. Everyone is just taking the necessary precautions that were being told to.(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'}); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Andy Newport, PA'); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '3a14cef0-bebb-4cf8-b62c-0483e705c3fe'); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk'); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story'); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite'); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null); ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football'); ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'No reason to rush Euro 2020 play-offs \u2013 Johnny Russell'});