NEW FACES ON OLE’S BENCH AFTER COVID OUTBREAK

MANCHESTER UNITED were hit by a Covid outbreak before last night’s victory over Newcastle at Old Trafford. The majority of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s coaching team were missing from the dugout after it emerged three staff had tested positive. Nicky Butt, head of first-team development, and academy coach Mark Dempsey were brought in to assist Solskjaer, while third-choice keeper Lee Grant stepped in as the goalkeeping coach. United did not name the staff who have been affected, but insisted that no players were involved. Asked about the situation, Solskjaer said: ‘We’ve got good staff elsewhere. Of course it was a different preparation for the boys, but that’s the situation we are in. We have to be ready and we were. We’ll have to follow the protocols.’ Despite the disruption, United beat Newcastle 3-1 to reclaim second place from Leicester. Both clubs remain 10 points adrift of leaders Manchester City, but Solskjaer is still refusing to admit defeat in the title race. ‘I’m never going to say it’s done until it’s done,’ he added. ‘You’ve seen so many examples of teams hanging in there: do your own jobs and something might happen. We just think about our own games. It’s not like we are going to think we’ll lose. There’s no point. We’ve loads to play for. ‘We’ve got to be there just in case, but every game is important. Every time we get three points, we’ve done our job. That’s what we’ve got to do and then see what other teams do. ‘We had to find a way to win it in the second half. The first half wasn’t up to the standard we wanted. It took us to half-time to get our legs and energy.’ Defeat leaves Newcastle just three points above the relegation zone following an eighth defeat in their last 10 Premier League games, and heaps more pressure on under-fire manager Steve Bruce. ‘I agree it’s gloomy but I was pleased with the performance,’ said Bruce. ‘I’m still quietly confident that we’ll get the results we need. ‘Everyone near the bottom will be looking nervously over their shoulder. I’ve been saying for many years, it is about the accumulation of points. ‘We’ve been stuck on 25 points for a little while. We have to win a few games to get to that magic figure, whatever it is.’