Michael Stewart believes league bosses should pay out league prize money now as the table stands to help clubs financially during the coronavirus hiatus.

Scottish football has ground to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic and SPFL chiefs are mulling over what to do next in terms of how to wrap up the league campaign.

Hearts yesterday announced that they would be asking players to take a 50 percent pay cut amid the league shutdown and former Tynecastle star Stewart insists Hampden blazers should be doing all they can to help Scottish clubs through a difficult time.

READ MORE: Clubs will go out of business due to coronavirus crisis, says expert

Speaking in his Scottish Sun column, he said: “The rules as they are state the season must be declared over for prize money to be handed out and right now there are a lot of anxious teams out there whose futures depend on that happening as soon as it possibly can. I also totally understand the logic behind the calls to play the season to an end. It’s just fairer.

“And that’s why, in these unprecedented times, I think there is another solution. Let’s do both. Why not pay out the prize money based on where every team is right now? But do so on the provision that the season will be finished whenever football eventually returns.

“And whatever over or under-payments are made can be redressed at the end of next season when clubs will, hopefully, be on a better financial footing. At a stroke that addresses the issue of clubs needing a lump sum of money now to make it through to the summer.”

READ MORE: UEFA president insists there are no plans to award titles before season is completed

We told earlier this week how UEFA are to make ‘maximum efforts’ to conclude the Scottish Premiership and SPFL leagues by June.

Domestic competition has taken precedent over international tournaments including Euro 2020 which has been pushed back to 2021. 

That would see the end of the Scottish Premiership and any winner crowned on merit. It comes after there had been fears Celtic could be handed the title 'prematurely', and also amid other speculation that the season could be declared null and void.