Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich resumed training on Monday for the first time since the German league was suspended due to coronavirus but the players were put through their paces in small groups and maintained social distancing measures.

Keeping at least 1.5m from each other, players, including captain Manuel Neuer, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Mueller, trained together for the first time since the Bundesliga was halted on March 13.

“It was a very unusual feeling to hold a training session in small groups, but it was also nice to see the boys in person again,” said Neuer.

After arriving at staggered times to limit contact — with no greeting hugs or handshakes — the 21-man squad was split into five groups, each containing a maximum of five players. When they changed, the players were kept 4m apart in the changing rooms at the club’s state-of-the-art training complex.

On the pitch, Bayern’s stars were careful to keep their distance and there were no challenges or tackles. Once training was over, the players left to shower at home.

Bayern asked fans to stay away from the Saebener Strasse complex, where hundreds of supporters usually turn up. Other clubs also cautiously resumed training on Monday, after the ban on doing so until April 5 passed, amid hopes the league will resume in early May. Bayern are four points clear in the table.