Allan Saint-Maximin recovering from Covid-19 following Newcastle United outbreak

Isaac Hayden, Federico Fernandez and Emil Krafth have already revealed that they had Covid-19, and club sources have today confirmed that Saint-Maximin and Lascelles also tested positive.

Both players have agreed to this information being made public amid speculation about their continuing absence.

Steve Bruce had previously revealed that a number of players had been hit particularly hard by the disease, which forced the closure of the training ground late last month.

“I think the big problem we've got has been well-documented with the illness, unfortunately,” said United’s head coach. “As we speak, numbers are still far too high, and they're big players for us.”

No date has been set for the return of Saint-Maximin and Lascelles.

Speaking late last week, Bruce said: “The big thing, of course, is the welfare of one or two or three of them. It’s not great at all.

“We’re still going to be weeks, and that long-term Covid is something which you wouldn’t think possible in young, fit, athletes.

"Unfortunately, it is so, I'll be governed by the doctors and the medical people, but the most worrying element is fatigue, and I think most people will realise, or the vast majority who have got it, the one thing that the virus leaves, even if the virus has left them, is the fatigue aspect.

“They go for a walk for half an hour and then they want to go back to bed. It’s as brutal as that.”

Krafth spoke about experience with Covid-19 before the weekend’s 1-1 draw against Fulham.

“It started at night – I woke up and had a bad headache,” said the 26-year-old. “Then I got more symptoms and more symptoms. The first two days after I tested positive I was really tired – I just wanted to sleep all day.

"Then I had a sore throat, a cold nose, and then lost my taste and smell as well. It was a weird feeling. You didn’t want to get out of bed. It’s hard to tell how it felt. I didn’t have any fever or anything, I just felt down, you know – low energy.”

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