Coronavirus

PREMIER LEAGUE chiefs remain determined to keep the season on track – despite the latest Covid spike.
Manchester City’s game at Everton on Monday was called off just hours before the scheduled kick-off after  a surge in positive tests at the Etihad.

Sam Allardyce had backed the calls for a ‘circuit-breaker’Credit: Rex Features

But Sheffield United played at Burnley on Tuesday despite being without three players – Oli McBurnie, Phil Jagielka and Billy Sharp – and boss Chris Wilder reporting that ‘four of five’ of his backroom staff had tested positive.
Fulham’s game at Spurs this evening remained on at midday although Tottenham are understood to believe their rivals may request a postponement.
And while there are increasing concerns over the spread of the virus after the discovery of the fast-growing mutant strains, League chiefs have no current intentions of calling the campaign to a halt.
West Brom boss Sam Allardyce sounded the alarm bells after his side’s thrashing by Leeds, while two or three clubs have privately discussed the possibility of a ‘circuit breaker’.

But SunSport understands such a conversation has not included any of the Big Six, who remain fully behind League chief executive Richard Masters in his continuation strategy.
There has also been no attempt to get the 20 clubs together to discuss the evolving situation.
At this stage, the next meeting of the 20 ‘shareholders’ has yet to be scheduled and is unlikely to take place until the back end of January.
That meeting will almost certainly have to address ‘curtailment’ issues if the League has to go into a temporary or even longer-term hiatus.

Clubs accepted at the start of the season that there needed to be a set of rules in place and that a points per game formula would likely be adopted if required.
But there was no agreement on the threshold of games for the season to be deemed “completed” if it ended early.
So far, League bosses believe they have acted sensibly and are putting the health, safety and welfare of clubs first.
West Ham boss David Moyes, though, articulated the concerns of a number of clubs – led by Aston Villa and Everton – by demanding more transparency from the Prem over the precise rationale behind when games could be postponed.
Everton were frustrated by the late decision to call off their game with City, pointing to regulations that suggested clubs could only ask for postponements if they had fewer than 14 senior players available.
League chiefs, though, insist that the regulations always gave the board room to exercise discretion and that the precedent was set when Newcastle’s game at Aston Villa in early December was called off after the Toon training ground was closed down following a virus outbreak.
City, who were awaiting the results of Tuesday’s mass screening of players and staff, fear that their outbreak could be worse than the one that saw Newcastle unable to train for more than a week.

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EVERTON have requested ‘full disclosure’ of the information Manchester City provided to the Premier League after their match was postponed due to Covid-19 cases.
The two sides were due to meet at Goodison Park on Monday night but a late postponement just four hours before the 8pm kick-off left the 2,000 fans scheduled to attend gutted.

Everton’s game against Manchester City at Goodison Park was postponedCredit: Getty Images – Getty

The Sun exclusively revealed that half of Pep Guardiola’s side are feared to have caught the virus with club officials concerned it may have ripped through the team at the London hotel where they stayed for the Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Arsenal last week.
In a statement, Everton said: “Everton Football Club regret the postponement of tonight’s match against Manchester City – not only for the 2,000 fans who would have been attending, but for supporters on Merseyside and across the world.
“Our players were prepared for the game, as were both the team staff and everyone at Goodison. Matchday is the most important date in our calendar. And this was a big one.
“Whilst Everton will always have public safety uppermost, we will be requesting full disclosure of all the information that Manchester City provided to the Premier League so the Club can be clear on why this decision was taken.”

At least three more City stars have contracted the virus days after Kyle Walker and Gabriel Jesus were told they had tested positive on Christmas Eve, along with two backroom staff.
A source said: “Players spend an awful lot of time together. The club is stringent with following protocols, but it shows how easily it spreads. Now the concern is even more players will test positive.”
City requested the postponement – which could now cause fixture chaos with Sunday’s game against Chelsea now at risk.
Guardiola’s men are then due to face Manchester United in the Carabao Cup semi-finals three days later and the club’s training ground has been shut for an ‘indeterminable period’.

A City statement read: “Manchester City FC can confirm that this evening’s Premier League fixture at Everton has been postponed.
“After the latest round of Covid-19 testing, the club returned a number of positive cases, in addition to the four already reported on Christmas Day.
“With the security of the bubble compromised, there posed a risk that the virus could spread further amongst the squad, the staff and potentially beyond.
“Based on strong medical advice the Premier League, in consultation with both clubs, have decided to postpone the fixture.

With the security of the bubble compromised, there posed a risk that the virus could spread further amongst the squad, the staff and potentially beyond.”
Manchester City

“All positive cases involving players and staff will observe a period of self-isolation in accordance with Premier League and UK Government protocol on quarantine.
“The first team training ground at City Football Academy will close for an indeterminate period, with the squad and associated bubble undergoing testing before any decision is made for training to resume.
“Everyone at the Club wishes all of our colleagues a speedy recovery ahead of their return to work, training and competition.”
The Premier League said: “The Board agreed to rearrange the game as a precaution.”

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NEWCASTLE winger Allan Saint-Maximin and skipper Jamaal Lascelles have been suffering from the long-term effects of Covid-19.
The Magpies revealed their identities to quash rumours of a bust-up between the Toon pair and boss Steve Bruce.

Jamaal Lascelles is suffering from the long-term effects of Covid-19Credit: PA:Press Association

Neither Saint-Maximin nor Lascelles — along with Javier Manquillo and Fabian Schar — has featured since November 21 following a coronavirus outbreak.
At least ten players and staff have been affected. And, ahead of the Carabao Cup quarter-final at Brentford, Bruce declared: “Yes, we want to win a cup-tie, but the players’ welfare comes first.
“And we’ve got one or two poorly and it could be with them for weeks, months.”
On Friday Bruce revealed the “frightening” and “brutal” impact the virus had had on his players.

Bruce said: “You all know who is struggling and who’s not and, as I said, one or two are struggling even more.
“They go for a walk for half an hour and then they want to go back to bed. It’s as brutal as that.
“The fatigue is the one thing that has hit them all. For two of them, it’s beyond that.

Allan Saint-Maximin has not featured for Newcastle since November 21Credit: Reuters
“We hope there’s light at the end of the tunnel, but some are finding it a struggle.

“Thankfully, a couple of my staff are getting a bit better, but it’s the after-effects fatigue-wise that is the big problem.”

Maximin yesterday confirmed he had not had any fall-out with Bruce, insisting: “I have no problem with Steve Bruce. I love this trainer.”
When asked if he is injured, he replied: “No.”
Lascelles watched Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Fulham from the stands.
Isaac Hayden, Federico Fernandez and Emil Krafth have all confirmed they have been Covid victims, with Fernandez lasting only until half-time against Fulham, suffering from “fatigue.”
Bruce said: “For a couple of them it’s had a damaging effect. It’s frightening when you think they’re young, fit and supreme athletes.”
Isaac Hayden is among the players to have confirmed they were struck down by the virus.
The 25-year-old told talkSPORT: “It took me by surprise, to be honest, how badly it affected me.

“I definitely underestimated it.
“I was thinking, ‘I’m a young and healthy athlete, if I have it I’d be asymptomatic and I’d be fine’.
“But it was tough; I was in bed for seven to ten days, doing very little and having pretty much every symptom going. It was very difficult.”

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