Hope Powell says she has concerns over vulnerability to Covid-19 among BAME players.

But she is confident the right information – and plenty of it - can allay such health fears as the Premier League edges towards a resumption next month.

Powell’s season as manager of Albion in the Barclays FA WSL appears to be over.

But she says some of her players have asked about potential risk of returning with figures suggesting BAME players are more vulnerable to the virus.

Bernardo, who is part of the club’s Premier League squad, also says is thinking about the risk.

Albion have made a point of communicating as much as possible with staff throughout the club, including players in both men’s and women’s squads, during the current shutdown due to coronavirus.

Asked how concerns can be alleviated, Powell said: “I think you have to listen to the science.

“I think you have to respect the concerns that people have. I think the science has to be looked at.

“I suppose if the players are aware of that and they have all the information they need and it helps to inform their decision, then we have to respect that.

“We have some players in our team who are concerned about that and rightly so.

“Myself as well. We need the information to make an informed decision.”

One recent report found that, between the beginning of February and the end of April, black people in England were 71% more likely than white people to die from Covid-19 while Asian people were 62% more likely.

Bernardo said: “In the last few weeks, I’ve read all this stuff about black people having a higher risk with Covid-19 and it’s definitely something that we think about and is definitely something that should be considered.”