Covid-19 outbreak: Brentford vs Man Utd Tuesday’s Premier League match called off

Manchester United’s Premier League match against Brentford on Tuesday night has been called off after a Covid-19 outbreak at the Manchester United club.

Man Utd has shut down first-team operations at their Carrington training complex on Monday as fixture with Brentford will be rescheduled in “due course”.

The league says the decision was made “following guidance from medical advisers due to the exceptional circumstances” of the outbreak.

United say positive cases among staff and players reported on Sunday have been confirmed by PCR tests and the outbreak “requires ongoing surveillance”.

All of Manchester United’s players tested negative before Saturday’s 1-0 win at Norwich, but some tested positive before training on Sunday morning.

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

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

“We appreciate that there will be many fans who will be inconvenienced with the fixture postponement and we apologise for the disruption, which was out of our control, but we respect the Premier League’s decision and acknowledge that the health and safety of both clubs’ players and staff must always come first.

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

“The rearranged match details will be confirmed and communicated in due course. All match tickets will remain valid for the rearranged fixture.”

The Premier League wrote to all of its clubs last Thursday instructing them to reinstate Covid-19 emergency measures, with testing of players and staff set to be increased.