Newcastle United under scrutiny after Covid-19 outbreak at club

The club’s training centre was this week closed after a round of Covid-19 tests on Sunday.

Tomorrow night’s game against Aston Villa at Villa Park was postponed after the club made an request to the Premier League following what it described as a “sharp rise” in cases.

Newcastle maintain that all Premier League Covid-19 protocols have been followed.

A statement read: “While the club has continued to ensure strict adherence to these protocols, and despite previously experiencing only a very small number of isolated Covid-19 cases, positive test results have risen sharply in recent days.”

The training ground will only reopen once Public Health England have assessed the results of a further round of tests.

Newcastle’s next game is the home fixture against West Bromwich Albion on December 12, and Steve Bruce hopes to have his players back at the training ground well ahead of the match.

Bruce first revealed the outbreak ahead of last week’s game against Crystal Palace, which his team went on to win 2-0.

United’s head coach suggested that the return of the club’s international players before previous weekend’s home game against Chelsea had been a factor in the cases.

Bruce reported that three unnamed players – and a member of staff – were self-isolating before the game. Allan Saint-Maximin missed the game because of a calf problem, while Jamaal Lascelles, Isaac Hayden and Emil Krafth were not involved.

There were reports of more positive cases at the club over the weekend, and Monday afternoon’s planned session was cancelled at short notice.

Premier League clubs tested their players and staff twice weekly in the summer for Project Restart, but the minimum requirement this season is a weekly test for all those in the club’s training ground bubble.

United have been testing once a week, though some clubs have maintained bi-weekly testing.

The club, which has a Covid-19 officer, has made no comment since issuing a statement on Monday following the postponement of the Villa game. However, there are still unanswered questions, not least the total number of cases at the club.

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