Football

Wolves players banned from supermarkets over Covid concerns

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Portuguese head coach Nuno Espirito Santo reacts during the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on December 15, 2020. (Photo by Michael Steele / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. /

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Portuguese head coach Nuno Espirito Santo reacts during the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on December 15, 2020. (Photo by Michael Steele / POOL / AFP)

Premier League club Wolves has banned players from shopping amid fears they could catch coronavirus with infections rising across England.

Testing on players and staff in England’s top-flight is to double to twice a week in areas of the country under tier four restrictions.

The latest round of testing in the Premier League revealed seven positive cases from 1,569 tests on Monday. However, since then Manchester City have confirmed another four positive tests for Gabriel Jesus, Kyle Walker and two staff members.

“We have staff to go shopping and to the supermarkets for them,” Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo said ahead of his side’s clash with Tottenham on Sunday.

“We have to avoid any kind of risk because we have a small squad and we have problems with some players out.

“We cannot afford to lose any player, we tell them on a daily basis ‘don’t relax and try to be more careful’.”

Wolves also told players to avoid supermarkets during the first three-month lockdown between March and May this year.

“Our kitchen staff puts together a big box of the basic things that we need,” added Nuno.

“During the high moment of the pandemic everybody had it. When the situation improved we said to players ‘you are free to go and do your own shopping’.

“But now as the levels are increasing so high, and we have this new mutation that everyone is so worried about, we start putting this together again. It’s about protecting ourselves.”

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Tom Kirkwood