Two Manchester City stars test positive for COVID-19
Manchester City confirmed in a club statement that first-team regulars Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez had tested positive for COVID-19 and would enter self-isolation, just 14 days before Manchester City’s first scheduled Premier League match.
The start to Manchester City’s season during this unprecedented time just became even more difficult, as key first team players Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez will now be forced to enter self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19. Both players are asymptomatic and feeling well, but both are now surely a doubt to be at full match sharpness before City’s league-opening match against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Wolves beat City in both league fixtures last season, so the team will need to be at full strength if they are to improve upon that result this year. This is likely to be the reality of the Premier League this season, and City will be forced to cope. New signing Ferran Torres has been in brilliant form for Spain, and a Mahrez absence could give him a window to start, while Nathan Aké was signed for this exact purpose: quality left-footed cover for Laporte.
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If the two regulars cannot make it back in time, it could be an opportunity to see both debutants in Premier League action, which represents a unique opportunity, even if it does diminish the team’s chances of winning. In the post-lockdown world, this is nothing more than an empirical reality and bad luck.
Therefore, City supporters must shrug their shoulders and wish their players the best in a speedy recovery as they now race against the clock to be ready for a delayed matchday 1, with most teams beginning play this week.