Premier League players have launched a "collective initiative" to help generate funds for the National Health Service and distribute them "where they are needed most".

The initiative - named #PlayersTogether - has been set up to "help those fighting for us on the NHS frontline" amid the coronavirus pandemic.

It has partnered with NHS Charities Together (NHSCT).

Health Secretary Matt Hancock "warmly welcomed" the "big-hearted decision".

Hancock had previously said players should "take a pay cut and play their part".

Former England captain and Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker tweeted he was "proud of our players".

"Footballers are doing their bit as I was confident they would," he wrote.

"Let's hope that others that are in a position to help, those that weren't unfairly targeted, do likewise."

More than 7,000 people have died with coronavirus in the UK, according to the latest Department of Health figures.