Business as usual at Carrington despite fears over coronavirus pandemic
UNITED players are expected to continue training as normal amid the coronavirus pandemic.
United are not due to play again until their scheduled trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on April 4 but there is already mounting uncertainty the Premier League season will resume in just under three weeks’ time.
Despite the possibility of months without matches the M.E.N. understands United players are currently expected to report for training, with days off spread out across the forthcoming weeks.
United players are off today and due back in tomorrow, and some have been spotted out on errands over the weekend. Former United boss Jose Mourinho gave the players fixed days off, regardless of results.
United said on their website: “We are taking a series of precautions to reduce the risk of infection across the club, including strengthened hygiene procedures and additional limits on access to our Aon Training Complex, where visitors will be asked to complete questionnaires about their recent travel and potential exposure to coronavirus.”
The United players who would not have been on international duty this month would have been granted time off for the week beginning March 23, yet all international fixtures have been cancelled.
The World Health Organisation said Europe had become the ‘epicentre’ of the coronavirus outbreak and United have 14 Brits, two Spaniards, two Frenchmen, two Portuguese, a Serbian, and a Dutchman in their first-team squad.
Advice on overseas travel varies
from country to country, though Spain and France have announced emergency restrictions. People are banned from leaving home in Spain apart from buying essential supplies and medicines, or for work.
United’s Spain internationals Juan Mata and David de Gea travelled with the squad to Austria for their Europa League round-of-16 first leg against LASK Linz but France representatives Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial were unavailable through injury.
United striker Odion Ighalo arrived at the club’s Carrington training complex on Friday morning wearing a face mask and gloves.
Ighalo did not enter United’s training ground for 14 days at the start of February following his arrival from China, where the coronavirus originated.