Manchester United keeping Premier League informed on Covid outbreak ahead of Brighton fixture

Unaffected first team players and staff returned to Carrington on Wednesday

Manchester United’s home ground Old Trafford (Getty Images)

Manchester United are keeping the Premier League informed over the Covid-19 outbreak within their squad ahead of Saturday's lunchtime kick-off against Brighton and Hove Albion.

United's game away to Brentford, originally set to be played on Tuesday, was postponed after a number of players and staff tested positive and first team operations were shut down at Carrington.

Members of the first team squad who were unaffected returned to the club's training ground when it re-opened on Wednesday morning.

All those attending were required to undergo a lateral flow and PCR tests and return negative results, as per new strengthened Premier League guidance on Covid.

United are scheduled to face Brighton this weekend, but their head coach Graham Potter said on Monday that there have been "three or four" Covid-positive results returned among his own playing squad.

But despite Brighton's outbreak, their Premier League fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers is set to go ahead on Wednesday evening.

Any request to postpone Saturday's match against United would have to go before the Premier League board, who judge on a case-by-case basis and do not have a set threshold for positive tests which would guarantee postponement.

The postponement of the Brentford fixture was announced late on Monday evening, less than 24 hours before its scheduled kick-off.

Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotpsur, Leicester City and Norwich City are among the other clubs to have confirmed they are experiencing Covid outbreaks.