This is what Portsmouth’s players are saying over finishing the football season

And Kenny Jackett believes footballers in the wider game who do so while out of contract could be helping to secure their futures.

There remains widespread uncertainty about the way forward for the EFL and League One season, despite a growing sentiment the season emerging the season is set to be cancelled.

Blues chief executive Mark Catlin has underlined the club’s preference remains finishing this term, which is in line with the position officially forwarded by the EFL and repeated at the end of last month.

And despite the widespread talk the season will not completed, Jackett explained his players are still on board with doing so.

He said: ‘All of our players are committed to completing this season, should we be allowed.

‘They are very positive towards that and keeping themselves fit with that in mind.

‘In terms of safety, they’re happy to work off what we’re advised and then in terms of the opinions of when and where is the best time to be able to come back.

‘But ultimately they do want to come back and like every industry get back to work again if we can. That’s the aim and our players feel that.

‘Contractually, yes, they are all certainly committed to this season, definitely.’

One of the biggest obstacles to finishing the current season is the contractual situations of players.

With this year’s contracts ending on June 30, hundreds of players will be free agents and looking for the security of new deals.

Catlin has long forwarded the idea of extending contracts for a month in an effort to finish this term, but has now aired the view restarting at an unspecified later date is preferable to using a model to decide positions, if that timescale is not achievable.

There’s a growing sentiment from within the game there may not be the desire for players to finish this season, especially if they were to be released by their clubs after doing so.

But Jackett feels that’s not the case with all players, who could be helping themselves by playing out the campaign.

He added: ‘Every situation is individual. You have to speak to people and see what their feelings are.

‘You can’t make anybody play and you wouldn’t get the best out of them necessarily if you did.

‘With the different types of contractual situations (being mooted) you have to listen to them and see where they are.

‘But there’s many people even if they are out of contract if there happens to be a nine or 10-game situation running into next season, you’d perhaps want to be involved as well. That could help you towards the next stage.

‘So there’s different ways of looking at it, but all of our players are committed to this season.

‘Should we want to start again there wouldn’t be any problems there.

‘That’s the information I’ve got off our players individually.’