While former Republic of Ireland striker Stephen Elliott believes most Premier League players are eager get back training, he said the decisions of those who choose not to make an immediate return due to concerns about the coronavirus should be respected.
Players from the English top flight have been returning to training grounds in small groups this week amid testing and physical distancing guidelines.
But on Tuesday, the league confirmed that six people from three different clubs had tested positive for Covid-19 out of a sample of 748 individuals.
A number of players have also raised concerns with Newcastle's Danny Rose stating his belief that players are being treated like "lab rats", while Watford captain Troy Deeney has said he will not resume training out of concern for his son's health.
"You have to respect each player individually and if they don't want to go in and train, then so be it and they stay at home," Elliott said on RTÉ2fm's Game On.
"But obviously, there are a lot of lads who do want to train and want to get back to normal because it's very hard mentally.
"It's like everybody who is away from work at the moment, I'm sure most people want to get back into that routine because it can affect people's mental health and the way they go about their day.
"But if the players don't want to go in and train, you have to respect them for whatever reason that may be."
The former Sunderland and Manchester City striker pointed to Deeney's situation as an example as to why each player's situation needs to be looked at with respect and understanding.
"He's mentioned that his five-year-old kid has breathing difficulties, so he's just looking at the worry of bringing something home that affects his kid which could ultimately be fatal because we've seen young kids even die from this disease," he said.
"You can understand the players. It's a difficult scenario but if the decision has been made that the football's going to get going, I presume all managers want players pulling in the right direction if possible."
Elliott believes there is a desire from many other players to attempt a return to normal.
"It's a difficult one to answer when you're in that position but if you look at it, the majority of players seem to be going back in and training," he said.
"Obviously, they feel confident enough in their precautions that are in place regarding catching the virus. I know there is only a small number of people that tested positive out of all the tests they've done so I probably would go in and train now to be honest.
"It's one of them. Everybody wants to get back to normal. Even now myself, I don't play anymore but I do a bit of coaching, I'm itching to get back onto the park and feel the grass under my feet again and I presume all the Premier League players are desperate to get back amongst the balls again.
"But the thing is, a lot of the teams at the top end would be looking to get back.
"I think Liverpool players would be desperate to get back in and get their hands on that title after such a long wait and I know, obviously in the background, there is a worry over the virus but ultimately [Jurgen] Klopp was smiling around the place because he can sense that their time is getting closer to when he might be able to get his hands on the Premier League title."
Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
