With only three days to go until they’re due to play again, Newcastle United have become the unwitting victims of a coronavirus outbreak.
According to Sky Sports, the Magpies haven’t been able to train all week, which has thrown their plans for the Aston Villa game on Friday night into turmoil.
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After three individuals had tested positive and were isolating at home whilst Newcastle were beating Crystal Palace in last Friday night’s match, two more tested positive thereafter which Sky Sports note meant a further round of testing on Sunday.
With the results of the new tests still having not been communicated to the Newcastle hierarchy, the club have had no option but to tell players and staff to stay away from the training ground until further notice.
There’s no suggestion at this stage that the match won’t go ahead as planned, but it’s clearly not the ideal scenario for manager, Steve Bruce, to be working in.