Almost three-quarters of people would not see the return of football as a boost to their morale during the pandemic, according to a YouGov survey.

Of more than 2,000 people questioned, 73 per cent said the Premier League and EFL coming back would not lift their spirits.

Nineteen per cent said they would be pleased to see football return.

It echoes a poll in the Oxford Mail this week on how Oxford United fans wanted to end the season, where 70 per cent of readers favoured scrapping the remaining games.

The Government’s Covid-19 recovery strategy document allows for the conditional return of top level sports behind closed doors in England from June 1, subject to sufficient progress being made in terms of the infection rate in the country dropping.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters is hoping that his competition could be in a position to resume in the middle of June, although even the initial return-to-training protocols are yet to be approved by players and managers.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said last week that the return of sports would “lift the spirits of the nation”.

The English Football League Board are due to discuss their plans for the future on today, before a meeting with their clubs on Friday.