Jump directly to the content
VIRUS HELL

Arsenal return preparations in chaos after ‘player tested positive for coronavirus and two more came in close contact’

ARSENAL'S preparations for the resumption of the Premier League season were reportedly thrown into chaos when one player tested positive for coronavirus.

According to , two other people "came in close contact" to the infected individual.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

 Arsenal believe the unnamed player had a 'false positive' coronavirus test
3
Arsenal believe the unnamed player had a 'false positive' coronavirus testCredit: EPA

That meant, going by the government guidance, the player would have to self-isolate for seven days.

But the two individuals who had been in contact with the player would have to quarantine for 14 days.

The club reportedly held their own testing for the unnamed star and both came back negative, therefore believing the first test was a 'false positive'.

But "the in-house process is not approved by the Premier League" meaning that the Gunners had to wait for the next round of official testing.


ARSENAL NEWS LIVE: Follow for the latest Gunners news


That came just two days before Arsenal's game against Manchester City - and the player provided a negative test for infection.

The three players missed a total of four days training during the process, only returning for sessions the day before the City game.

And it is being reported that the trio all featured in the 3-0 defeat to Pep Guardiola's title-chasers.

The revelation comes at a time with Arsenal reeling following back-to-back defeats.

RESTART MISERY

They followed up a dismal showing against City, where David Luiz was sent off and Granit Xhaka and Pablo Mari came off injured, with a 2-1 loss to Brighton.

That saw .

Boss Mikel Arteta tested positive for coronavirus back in March following the postponement of the Manchester City game.

That put the whole first-team squad, coaches and support staff into isolation.

The 37-year-old revealed he started to feel unwell shortly after his side's Europa League game with Olympiacos.

The Greek club's owner, Evangelos Marinakis, later tested positive for the killer bug - sparking a panic amongst a host of clubs, including Nottingham Forest.

After that, Arteta revealed everything happened "very quickly" and it took a while for him to fully recover having tested positive for Covid-19.

Arteta admitted to feeling "unwell for three or four days" and admitted it all "happened very fast".

 Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta contracted coronavirus back in March
3
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta contracted coronavirus back in MarchCredit: Getty Images - Getty
 The player and three he came into contact with all featured against Manchester City
3
The player and three he came into contact with all featured against Manchester CityCredit: Getty Images - Getty
Danny Mills says Arteta’s arsenal ‘needs an overhaul’ after losing first two Premier League games after restart
Topics