Brentford-Manchester United match postponed amid COVID-19 outbreak

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Manchester United’s Premier League match against Brentford has been postponed.

United’s first-team squad has had a number of positive tests for Covid over the past 24 hours which has led to doubts about the match.

First-team operations at the club’s Carrington training complex were closed for 24 hours after the club notified the Premier League on Sunday.

The Manchester Evening News understands United pushed for the match to be postponed, and earlier on Monday, players and staff had expected the match to be called off.

The team had been expected to travel to Brentford on Tuesday morning if the match continued.

But the club has since issued a statement confirming the match has been postponed, saying: “Manchester United can confirm that our Premier League match, on Tuesday 14 December at 19:30, has been postponed and will be rescheduled in due course.

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“Following PCR confirmation of positive LFT Covid-19 tests among first-team crew and player, the outbreak requires ongoing monitoring.

“A decision has been made to close first-team operations at the Carrington training complex for 24 hours to help reduce the risk of further infection, and individuals who have tested positive to isolate in line with Premier League protocols.

“With training canceled and the team disrupted, and with the health of players and staff prioritized, the club has requested that the match be rearranged. The decision to postpone was taken by the Premier League’s board of directors based on guidance from medical advisors.

“Manchester United regrets the inconvenience caused to Brentford and fans of both clubs due to Covid-19.”

The Premier League also confirmed the decision late on Monday night.

“The decision was made following guidance from medical advisors due to the exceptional circumstances of the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak within the Man United team.”

In a statement issued on Monday afternoon, United said: “Manchester United can confirm that following PCR testing of positive LFT (lateral flow tests) cases of Covid-19 yesterday among first-team staff and player, the decision to shutdown has been made. First-team operations halted. At the Carrington Training Complex for 24 hours to minimize the risk of any further injury.

“Given the cancellation of training and the disruption to the squad, and with the health of players and staff prioritized, the club is discussing with the Premier League whether it is safe to continue Tuesday’s match against Brentford, whether from a Covid infection or a player. Preparation perspective.

The travel of the team and staff to London will be postponed pending the outcome of that discussion.”

A statement from Brentford added: “Following medical advice, the Premier League’s board of directors has postponed Tuesday night’s match against Manchester United due to the exceptional circumstances of the ongoing COVID-19 spread within the Manchester United squad.

“We appreciate that there will be many fans who will be upset by the postponement of the match and we apologize for the disruption that was out of our control, but we respect the Premier League’s decision and acknowledge the health and safety of the players of both clubs. Staff should always come first.

“We wish everyone a speedy recovery and look forward to hosting Manchester United at Brentford Community Stadium in the new year.

“Details of the re-arranged match will be confirmed and communicated in due course. All match tickets will remain valid for the re-arranged match.”

The only statement issued by the Premier League, on Monday, was about the number of positive cases among players and staff at its twenty clubs. Between Monday 6 December and Sunday 12 December, 3,805 players and club staff were tested for Covid-19 and 42 new positive cases were recorded.

The Premier League has confirmed that it has started its emergency measures and will increase the frequency of both lateral flow and PCR Covid-19 testing for players and staff.

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