Isle of Man-born professional footballer Liam Doyle is currently plying his trade in America with USL Championship side Memphis 901.

Like sport across the globe, soccer in the States has ground to a halt as a result of the coronavirus pandemic while governments attempt to stem the spread of Covid-19.

While competitive action may be on hiatus, former St George’s and St Mary’s man Doyle took the time to speak to the Examiner about life in lockdown with his partner Brittany and their baby boy Ollie.

First of all, how’s life in lockdown? Are you seeing the good side of it, meaning you get to spend more time at home with Brittany and Ollie than you probably expected?

LD: I’m good thanks, we’re all in good health and spending time as a family. Life in lockdown is very repetitive but I feel we had to do this for a period of time to contain the outbreak.

There is definitely a huge positive in the fact that Oliver was born in January. I’ve been able to be home every day and watch him grow, whereas if the season was being played as normal I would be off training, travelling and fulfilling other club commitments.

I think most sports people will say they are enjoying family time.

Are you still training/keeping fit in lockdown?

LD: I am training a lot and keeping fit. Whether that’s with the programme the club has given us or running with a few of the lads.

Things are slightly different here: You are allowed in small groups with people from a different household, meaning that I’ve been able to meet a couple of the lads to do our runs or do some small football stuff which makes it much easier than training alone.

What’s a typical day?

LD: A typical day would be getting out at 9am to train and then spending the afternoon with the family. We’re usually out on one or two walks a day with [pet dog] Guinness - dogs have never been walked so much!

The league was suspended very early on - with only one game played - so are you going to try and treat this as an extended pre-season? What’s the latest on the league being restarted?

LD: It’s a really difficult one because we have no date to aim for - the league is continuously delaying training start dates and there’s no formal resume dates, which makes sense and everyone is in the same boat.

So I’m trying to enjoy training a little without too much pressure of having a deadline to meet - if I feel tight or sore I can have a day off and not push it, knowing there’s nothing specific to aim for.

Prior to the suspension, how were you finding the move to Memphis since last summer? You had a good start to your 901 career, playing 13 of the last 14 games of the previous season. Are you pleased with how it’s all going?

LD: It’s going well, we’re settled here. The team invested well in the off-season and made some significant upgrades which I felt we showed for 70 minutes in the opening game.

Memphis isn’t the new franchise anymore in the league, so there’s no excuses. We’re looking to push high in the table to ensure we’re well in the play-offs and hopefully aiming for much more.

What’s it like playing alongside the legend that is ex-Premier League goalkeeper Tim Howard and the likes of former Everton player Jose Baxter?

LD: It’s been good. It’s a different dynamic with Tim as he has a few roles within the club, but he’s great to have in the team.

He’s an unbelievable communicator, motivator and has all the experience in the world to help the team in many ways.

I’m close to Jose on and off the pitch, he’s another that brings valuable experience and a different outlook to what most have been used to. Plus he’s a very, very talented player who on his day will be one of the best in the league.

Assuming the league does resume, what are the hopes for the rest of the season? What’s the club’s target in the league and cup?

LD: Play-offs in the league is a minimum target and in the cup, like every season, trying to secure an MLS tie and then advancing from there would be a great success.

Obviously you’ve been vocal about giving Manx footballers the chance to ply their trade in the professional game and you’re a fan of FC Isle of Man. Could we see you switching America for FCIoM sometime in the future?

LD: FC Isle of Man is very positive for local football and I hope they can also get to play this year.

One day I would love to be involved in some capacity but I don’t think that will be anytime soon.