Martin Cranie says the Coronavirus shutdown of football is a concern to his Luton team-mates whose contracts are due to expire in the summer.
The Hatters have not played for a month, since all professional leagues decided to take the step to suspend matches as the Covid-19 disease spread.
The first deadline of April 3 for a resumption in action has already passed, and though that was superseded by an April 30 date, the EFL announced last week that it is extending the season indefinitely.
However, football players’ contracts traditionally expire at the end of June, in the final year of their deals, which includes Danny Hylton, Glen Rea, Kazenga Lua Lua, Andrew Shinnie and Elliot Lee among the highest profile Hatters, while Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu and Luke Berry have an option for another year.
Loan deals are set to expire on June 1 for Luke Bolton, Izzy Brown, Cameron Carter-Vickers and James Bree.
So, if the current Championship season is to extend into summer, or beyond, it will leave these players unsure of their futures.
“That’ll definitely be in their minds, that uncertainty,” said Cranie, adding: “No-one knows where they stand at the minute, what the rules are regarding that, how it’s going to play out, so everything’s going to be down to when it kicks off again.
“I’m not sure what the rules are, so it’s just a case of waiting to see what they can do about it.”
Cranie, who signed last summer on a two-year deal after leaving Premier League-bound Sheffield United, will still be in contract when next season would’ve been scheduled to start.
He said: “It’s a bit different for me to the lads who will be out of contact this summer.
“I haven’t really spoken to any of them about it because I don’t think they know where they stand at the minute, if the season does extend past when the contract runs out.
“That’s going to be interesting to see what clubs can do with that.”
Luton players are currently training at home, while the Hatters have had to make the decision to furlough some of their staff.
Cranie said of the enforced measures: “It has been strange> Everyone’s in the same boat at the minute, not knowing when we’re going to go back to work and what’s happening, so everyone’s going off what the government are saying, no-one different, we’re just all cracking on ourselves.
“The club sent out a programme, what they would do in the summer, maybe a bit less, not knowing what was going on, so a couple of boys went down to the training ground and picked up a few bits out of the gym, so we’ve got a bike here, there’s places to run nearby, so just been ticking over, trying to stay in while training as much as possible.
“I know just as much as everyone else, from reading it from the news, they put a date on it to start with and then that got pushed back and now it’s pushed back indefinitely, so I think it’s just a case of waiting to see when it’s safe to go again.”
