Manchester United Release Statement After Being Hit By COVID Outbreak Ahead Of Newcastle Game

Manchester United have been hit by a COVID-19 outbreak, but it is believed that their Premier League game against Newcastle on Sunday afternoon will still go ahead as planned.

It has been emerged that up to three coaches working with the first team are affected, according to The Mirror.

In a statement on the club's official website, United confirmed that Nicky Butt and Mark Dempsey, who both work in first-team development, will join Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the bench due to some of the coaching staff having to self isolate.

They also confirmed that the game against Newcastle United at Old Trafford will kick off at 19:00 GMT.

Meanwhile it is believed that the coaches involved are thought to have returned positive tests last week.

They didn't travel to Turin for their Europa League game against Real Sociedad.

Manchester United's AON training centre is believed to have been closed down for a deep clean, while The Mirror report a United spokesman said the facilities have remained open, with players expected to visit the complex today.

It's clear that United are confident they have avoided spread of the outbreak to any members of the squad at this moment in time.

Topics: Football, Manchester United, Premier League, MUFC, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Newcastle United

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare is a writer at SPORTbible. He's interviewed some of the biggest names in sport, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pele, Carles Puyol and Tim Henman. He dabbles in all things sport but football is his biggest passion. He was once hit in the head by a wayward strike from Nicky Butt and lived to tell the tale.

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