Greece fear for Rashford and Lingard

MARCUS RASHFORD and Jesse Lingard face a nervous wait to discover if they will be forced to cut short a holiday in Greece to avoid a two-week quarantine that would cause them to miss the start of preseason training. The Manchester United duo flew to Greece earlier this week after United’s Europa League quarter-final defeat by Sevilla — despite the probability that returning holidaymakers will be subject to quarantine measures from this weekend. Rashford and Lingard undertook the trip with the blessing of United, but only after manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer warned his players that they had to be available for pre-season training on September 1. That would be impossible for the England stars if they were subject to quarantine — which would come into operation from Saturday if the Government adds Greece to the list of countries to which only essential travel is permitted when they release updated guidance today. Greece is expected to be added to the list after recording 250 new Covid-19 infections on Tuesday, its second highest figure of the pandemic. Finland added Greece to its list of countries to which only essential travel is allowed yesterday and, if the Government follow their lead, Rashford and Lingard would face a dash to get home by the early hours of Saturday morning. Rashford’s situation is also a concern for Gareth Southgate, as the England manager is planning to pick the 22-year-old in his squad next week for September’s UEFA Nations League games against Denmark and Iceland, which would not be possible if he was in quarantine. United’s approach to the risks posed by Covid-19 has raised eyebrows after Solskjaer permitted several players to travel abroad in their brief down-time.