Former Chelsea and current Hertha Berlin striker Salomon Kalou says the Bundesliga's impending return won't be without significant challenges during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“I'm not afraid, but I think it will be a little bit awkward that we're going to play and not have contact with other teams, because you’ve got to," the Cote d'Ivoire international told BBC Africa. "How are you going to play against opponents and expect to win a big game when you barely create contact with the game?"

The Bundesliga was suspended with nine games remaining and had initially aimed for a May 9 return, but that has been postponed for the time being. Training remains ongoing.

"We try to keep the distance," the 34-year-old Kalou said of training. "But you know as they say, football is a sport of contact, so I don’t know how long we are going to manage like that, because at the end of the day, you’ve got to have some contact, you’ve got to create some contact if you want to play football.”

A number of players - like Manchester City's Sergio Aguero - have expressed reservations about a resumption of play during the pandemic. Kalou says that keeping players healthy must be paramount.

"We can only enjoy this game and play the best if we are in good shape and healthy," Kalou said. "So hopefully I know they’ll take all the measures to be safe and to be back and play the game again. I don't know how they are going to manage that because you’ve got to travel to play, you’ve got to be at the hotel for away games. I'm looking forward to seeing it, because I'm very curious. I'm very curious of how we are going to manage that.”

Kalou is in his sixth season with Hertha. In seven appearances across all competitions, Kalou has scored twice this season.