Man United confirm Preston North End friendly is off after small COVID-19 outbreak in squad | OneFootball

Manchester United’s proposed friendly with Preston North End this weekend has been cancelled over a COVID-19 scare, the club confirmed in an official statement.

Man United’s pre-season to date has been a mixed bag, with their 2-1 away win against Wayne Rooney’s Derby County being followed up by a 4-2 defeat to QPR in West London.

The Red Devils then drew 2-2 with newly-promoted Brentford on Wednesday evening, with the goals scored by Anthony Elanga and Andreas Pereira both absolute beauties.

Man United’s Andreas Pereira celebrates after netting a stunning goal vs Brentford

MORE: Video: Andreas Pereira channels his inner Paul Scholes as he smashes a first-time volley in off the bar for Man United

While Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have been looking to build from there ahead of the new season, his pre-season preparations have been hit with a coronavirus-related disruption.

Via an official statement published on manutd.com, the club have confirmed that their friendly with Preston North End has been cancelled following a ‘small’ COVID-19 outbreak

“Following routine testing of the first-team training group today (Thursday), we have identified a small number of suspected positive cases.”

“This has led to those people isolating, pending further tests.”

“As a precautionary measure based on COVID protocols, we have taken the difficult decision that we will not now be able to play the friendly match against Preston North End this Saturday (31 July).”

“We regret the disruption to Preston North End and disappointment caused to fans.”

“Any Manchester United supporters who have purchased tickets for the game will be automatically refunded.”

“At this stage, we do not expect further disruption around our forthcoming matches, but we will continue to follow Premier League protocols in this regard.”

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There are no names mentioned in the report of the players who have tested positive for the virus, but you imagine that information will become clear over the coming days.

Man United’s next friendly will be against Everton on Saturday August 7th. You imagine the squad will be tested, re-tested and tested again to ensure they are able to fulfil that fixture.