What now after the longest ever Premier League season is over?

After 92 games in 39 days, the longest league season in football history is finally in the books after the shortest possible run to the finish line, writes Ben Burrows

Liverpool won the Premier League title (Getty)

The longest league season in football history is finally in the books after the shortest possible run to the finish line.

92 games were crammed into just 39 days as the Premier League not only resumed the 2019/20 campaign amid coronavirus against all odds but also completed it.

It looked for a long while like we would never get started again, let alone finish.

Liverpool are certainly glad we did. They are champions of England again, ending a 30-year wait to lift the league title. Captain Jordan Henderson had the honour, collecting the trophy from Sir Kenny Dalglish on the Kop and celebrating a richly-deserved and record-setting triumph sealed long before the country and football was sent hurtling into lockdown.

There were no fans there to see it, of course, with all matches under Project Restart completed behind closed doors. How long that remains the case remains to be seen with government plans already in place to try and get supporters back in stadia by October.

Football will no doubt be keeping a keen eye on the success of the selected cricket, snooker and horse racing events going ahead in the coming weeks before deciding when to push on themselves.

That is just one of the many things that must now be ticked off between the end of this season and the start of the next. With just 47 days separating the two the offseason will be shorter than ever, both on and off the pitch.

On it, the small matter of the Champions League must be decided. Manchester City will be hoping they will make it to Lisbon for a fortnight of top tier, knockout football and a chance to finally get their hands on the trophy they want above all. They must find a way past 14-time champions Real Madrid to do it though, a task made no easier with Los Blancos coming in fresh from a La Liga title.

Manchester United, who will be dining at European football’s top table once more next term after securing a top four place, could add a European trophy to their cabinet with victory in the Europa League in Germany.

It would be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first in charge at Old Trafford and another boon for an oft-criticised manager finally beginning to get a lot right.

England star Jadon Sancho could be under his stewardship next season with his on-off move from Borussia Dortmund likely to headline a summer transfer window like no other.

In a post-Covid world even the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich aren’t flush with the same cash as usual leaving the door ajar for a select few to seize the opportunity.

Expect Manchester City, fresh from seeing their two-year European ban expunged, to flex their considerable financial muscle with Chelsea, already active players this summer, set to follow suit.

Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions will also be back in action before too long too. After a summer where they were supposed to be playing for a European Championship the clock has now been reset, with all roads leading to Euro 2021 in a year’s time instead.

The wheels of football keep on turning and the rollercoaster never stops. The ink is barely dry on an unprecedented 2019/20 season but for those involved it’s already in the rear-view mirror. As the dust settles and you reflect on the memories of this unforgettable season, clubs, managers and players are already working towards the next.