The Football Association have reached an agreement over a winter break which is set to be introduced in English football the season after next.

Despite having reached an agreement with the Premier League and the EFL, the two week break will only apply to sides in the top flight meaning that the likes of QPR, Fulham and Brentford will not be affected unless they are playing with the big boys in the 2019/20 season.

Dean Smith, Ian Holloway and Slavisa Jokanovic

According to The Times today , the new schedule will see the fifth round of the FA Cup played entirely in midweek and without replays, to ensure all Premier League clubs get a two-week break in early February.

The report says the break will be staggered, so five Premier League matches take place on one weekend and five on another, meaning all Premier League clubs will have at least 13 days without a game.

The EFL were part of the negotiations with Sky and the Premier League but the 46-game schedule in the Championship, League One and League Two means there's less flexibility so the break will not apply.

While FA Cup fifth round replays will be scrapped, there's no plan to change the format of the League Cup, with the EFL said to be insistent that the semi-finals remain two-legged affairs.

Keep up to date with the latest news in west London via the free getwestlondon app.

You can set up your app to see all the latest news and events from your area, plus receive push notifications for breaking news.

Available to download from the App Store or Google Play for Android .