Manchester United has been forced to cancel their pre-season friendly with Preston North End after a COVID-19 outbreak within the first-team squad.
The Red Devils identified a small number of suspected live cases following the latest round of testing at the club.
A statement issued by United on Thursday said: “Maintaining Covid security is a priority for us.
“Following routine testing of the first team training group today, we have identified a small number of suspected positive cases. This has led to those people isolating, pending further tests.
The statement continues: “As a precautionary measure based on covid protocols, we have taken the difficult decision that we will not now be able to play the friendly match against Preston North End this Saturday.“
“We regret the disruption to Preston and disappointment caused to fans. Any Manchester United fans who have purchased tickets for the game will be automatically refunded.“
As a precautionary measure based on COVID protocols, our pre-season friendly against Preston North End on Saturday has been cancelled.#MUFC
“At this stage, we do not expect further disruption around our forthcoming matches, but we will continue to follow Premier League protocols in this regard.”
The decision to cancel the game with Preston leaves Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with just one more warm-up fixture before the start of the Premier League campaign on August 14.
The cases are a mixture of players and staff, who tested positive with lateral flow tests but will need to take PCR tests to confirm the result.
