Ex-Portsmouth and QPR winger pinpoints potential ramifications of ‘gambling or other addictions’ during coronavirus shutdown

The game is in uncharted territory after the pandemic suspended all elite-level matches until April 3, although that period is widely expected to be extended.

It means large contingents of players up and down the country are currently undergoing their own training regimes while self-isolating.

Pompey are hoping to be back in training on Monday, having now acquired Covid-19 testing kits.

Wheeler, who spent the first half of the 2018-19 campaign at Fratton Park, he feels like he's losing purpose at home during the shutdown

And winger – whose eight-placed Wycombe side are also in the League One promotion push with Kenny Jackett’s four-placed outfit – warned that could lead to dangerous ramifications when it comes to the welfare of players.

He told the Guardian: ‘It’s a waiting game. As a professional athlete you get itchy feet having a few hours indoors – let alone days on end.

‘It is very difficult to stay fit in relevance to football, because you can go for a jog but it’s not the same as football fitness.

‘The way it is looking, with the amount of time we’re going to be off, I’d imagine for health and safety of the players, we’re going to have to have almost a mini pre-season before we set up for the last games. Otherwise people will pick up muscle injuries from muscle wastage from sitting around for so long.

‘You almost lose your purpose a little bit, because there’s no direction to what you’re doing at the minute.

‘There is often a lot of talk about players that get injured or are not involved that spend days on end sitting at home and end up getting hooked on gambling or other addictions.

‘If they thought it was bad before, it is going to be a hell of a lot worse in the next few months.

‘Are the players really being looked after? I would argue a lot more can be done. I would argue that it’s way past the need for more mental‑health provision and psychological help to players within clubs.’