Aston Villa confirm 10 first-team players have tested positive for coronavirus

Chief executive Christian Purslow has revealed the scale of the outbreak

(Getty Images)

Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow has confirmed that 10 players and four members of staff have tested positive for coronavirus after the club was forced to close its training ground on Thursday. 

Villa are set to field a team made up entirely of academy players for this evening’s FA Cup tie against Liverpool after the latest round of Premier League testing revealed a significant outbreak of the virus at Bodymoor Heath Training Ground.

“We went from zero positive tests for Covid to 14 yesterday,” Purslow told Sky Sports on Friday. "Ten of the 14 positive tests are for players."

READ MORE: Liverpool must prioritise league over retribution against Villa

Villa are scheduled to face Tottenham on Wednesday evening and are currently discussing options around postponement of the fixture with the  Premier League.

Ten first-team players have tested positive for coronavirus (Getty Images)

In a statement on Thursday, Villa said: "A large number of first-team players and staff returned positive tests after being routinely tested on Monday and immediately went into isolation.

"A second round of testing was carried out immediately and produced more positive results today.

"Discussions are ongoing between medical representatives of the club, the Football Association and the Premier League."