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          Premier League clubs and players react to June 17 restart

          • Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerMay 29, 2020, 10:05 AM

          It has been March 9 since we last saw any action in the Premier League, but it was handed a provisional restart date amid the coronavirus outbreak this week.

          Pending government approval, the league will resume on June 17 (100 days later) with a double-header of matches (Aston Villa vs. Sheffield United and Manchester City vs. Arsenal) that would take all teams in the division to 29 games played.

          With light glimmering at the end of the tunnel, the announcement led to plenty of reaction on social media from players, clubs and fans -- all of whom have been deprived of any meaningful football during lockdown.

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          1. Raheem Sterling

          The Man City forward was among the first to voice his approval, posting a "rock and roll" emoji on Instagram along with the proposed restart date.

          2. Harry Kane

          Tottenham striker Kane was similarly enthusiastic, posting a photo of himself punching the air.

          3. Georginio Wijnaldum

          With his side 25 points clear at the top of the table before the league was put on hold, Liverpool midfielder Wijnaldum was understandably keen to get things back on track.

          4. Jack Grealish

          Villa star Grealish was unable to put into words his relief at the Premier League resuming, instead opting for a flurry of thankful emojis.

          5. David Luiz

          While he's definitely been having fun on social media since lockdown began, Arsenal defender Luiz still greeted the joyous news by thanking a higher power.

          "God is wonderful! Joy, joy! #grateful" he wrote on Instagram.

          View this post on Instagram

          Deus é maravilhoso!!! Alegria Alegria!!! #greatful

          A post shared by David Luiz (@davidluiz_4) on

          6. Dele Alli

          Having caught wind of the news, Alli decided to pass it onto his followers via his social media channels.

          "Did someone say 17th June restart?" the Tottenham man quipped.

          View this post on Instagram

          Did someone say 17th June restart? 😁

          A post shared by Dele (@dele) on

          7. Patrick van Aanholt

          The Palace full-back made sure to make a note in his diary.

          8. Sheffield United

          One of the teams set to be involved on re-opening day, the Blades emitted a defiant statement of intent.

          9. Wolverhampton Wanderers

          Wolves summed up their feelings on the matter with a short video of club captain Conor Coady exclaiming what a "beautiful day" it was.

          10. Southampton

          The Saints kept things light with a little meme-based celebration of their very own.

          11. Jamie Carragher

          Meanwhile, as is usually the way of it, former Liverpool defender and now Sky pundit Carragher couldn't resist the opportunity to rib his old sparring partner, Gary Neville.