Stoke City manager Michael O’Neill has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, informed the clubs in an official statement on Tuesday. The Stoke City squad had arrived at Manchester United’s Carrington training base when they found out about O’Neill.
“Stoke City can confirm that manager Michael O’Neill has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus following the latest round of testing on Monday (June 8). O’Neill had tested negative in the previous five rounds of testing,” the club statement read.
The 50-year-old former Northern Ireland boss had tested negative in the previous five rounds of testing that Championship players and staff underwent. O’Neill will now follow the regular guidance and a period of isolation.
Assistant manager Billy McKinlay will take charge of training as the Potters prepare for their game against Reading on June 20.
Meanwhile, Manchester United had cancelled a friendly game with Stoke City which the United had arranged with the Championship side at their Carrington training base as they prepare for the restart of the Premier League, according to an ESPN report.
Instead of facing Stoke, United took part in a inter-squad friendly as they prepare for their trip to Tottenham on June 19.
Meanwhile, the Premier League on Saturday reported zero COVID-19 positive cases in what turned out to be the best results of the league’s latest round of testing.
“The Premier League can today confirm that on Thursday 4 June and Friday 5 June, 1,195 players and club staff were tested for COVID-19. Of these, zero have tested positive,” the Premier League said in an official statement.
“The Premier League is providing this aggregated information for the purposes of competition integrity and transparency. No specific details as to clubs or individuals will be provided by the League and results will be made public after each round of testing.”
With IANS inputs