The Premier League is set to provide rapid Covid-19 testing after the current international break.
With games set to resume this weekend, there had been fears over a possible rise in cases with players travelling from all over the world to return to the UK.
Teams in England could have been left short of options for their games if an outbreak had takes place, with the current 24 hour testing proving to be a nervous period for managers while considering their options.
But, a new rapid testing technique is set to be deployed which will cut waiting times significantly.
According to The Athletic, the new tests will be made available this week, and it will allow players to start training shortly after being checked should they come back as negative.
There are 28 players from eight clubs – Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Brighton, Newcastle and West Brom – that could play for their respective nations on Wednesday evening while being expected to play in the league just three days later.
Edinson Cavani, Jorginho, Kevin De Bruyne and Toby Alderweireld are in that list, and could now benefit from the fast testing.
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The last statement from the Premier League on November 9 said: “The Premier League can today confirm that between Monday 2 November and Sunday 8 November, 1,646 players and Club staff were tested for COVID-19.
“Of these, there were four new positive tests. “Players or club staff who have tested positive will self-isolate for a period of 10 days.
“The Premier League is providing this aggregated information for the purposes of competition integrity and transparency.
“No specific details as to clubs or individuals will be provided by the League and results will be made public after each round of testing.”
