ARSENAL have been forced to undertake a deep clean of their training ground after a swell of positive coronavirus tests inside the academy.
A small number of Under-23s and Under-18s players have caught Covid-19, forcing a handful of youth team friendlies to be cancelled.
The Gunners have insisted that the infections were transmitted away from their London Colney base.
And those who have tested positive are not said to be suffering from any severe symptoms.
A club statement to The Athletic read: “There have been a small number of positive tests at London Colney which has required some U23 and U18 players to quarantine.
“All these positives were transmitted off site and the players are well.”
Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad are said to be unaffected by the outbreak having travelled to Scotland for a pre-season camp earlier this week.
But academy friendlies with Bournemouth’s U21s and Welling have been called off, with games against Boreham Wood and Bromley also in doubt.
The statement continued: “To protect our players and opponents, two friendly matches for the U23s and U18s have been cancelled.
“Our London Colney training ground has undergone extensive work to help ensure there is no cross-contamination between our various football bubbles.
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“The men’s first-team squad are unaffected as they are currently in Scotland. The women’s first-team squad also continue to train as normal.”
Arsenal will travel back to the capital after facing Rangers on Saturday afternoon.
The team were expected to spend a few days continuing their training at Colney before heading for the Florida Cup in the United States.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
