WATFORD MISSING SIX PLAYERS DUE TO CORONAVIRUS

WATFORD manager Nigel Pearson revealed yesterday that two more of his players have been forced into isolation because family members have coronavirus. English Premier League clubs returned to training in small groups this week, although Pearson’s plans have been hit by a series of complications. Defender Adrian Mariappa and two members of staff recorded positive results in the first tests and three others are thought to have opted out of training for personal reasons, including captain Troy Deeney, who cited concerns about the health of one of his children. ‘We’ve had several players not available for different reasons,’ said Pearson, after Watford extended a private testing programme to the families of players and staff, which ruled out two more, meaning six of his squad are absent. ‘One player through testing positive, two more because they’ve been in close contact with somebody else — even though their own tests came back negative — and we have the players who decided not to come in. I don’t intend to reveal names,’ he added. Watford’s players and staff were tested for a second time yesterday, with the number of individual tests increased from 40 to 50, and have been told to expect the results over the weekend. There are plans to test again on Monday and have the results back before the Premier League meet on Wednesday to discuss the next step of Project Restart. The aim is to be playing again within four weeks. ‘Possibly,’ said Pearson (below) when asked if he expected this timescale to be accurate, but he warned of problems, including an increase in muscle injuries when players step up training to full contact. He added: ‘I find it awkward to talk about football when we’ve got so many fatalities. ‘We’re working towards playing again. But it’s got to be timed right. You can’t compromise people’s health. That is a concern for some players and I respect their views.’ One of the fears among players is that those from black and ethnic minority backgrounds may be more vulnerable to coronavirus. Meanwhile, Premier League chief Richard Masters has said crowds of fans turning up at stadiums when football resumes is ‘a concern’. Masters said the Premier League wants ‘to play out the season as much as possible at home and away venues’ and added: ‘We’re talking to the authorities. But I believe we can appeal to fans not to congregate outside grounds.’ He also indicated that curtailing the season is still one of the options.