Leeds United's Christmas schedule could end up being lessened ever so slightly if their Premier League match with Newcastle United - due to take place on Wednesday 16th December - is postponed.
The reason for this is because Newcastle could be without as many as ten senior players for the fixture, due to a developing COVID-19 outbreak at the club's training ground.
Last weekend's game with Aston Villa was postponed as up to eight players had reportedly tested positive for the virus, and now fresh doubt has been cast over this weekend's match up with West Bromwich Albion.
With their visit to Leeds United just nine days away, the Whites will be keeping a close eye on matters in the North East as a postponement will undoubtedly affect their preparations for a hectic festive schedule.
The Telegraph state that the team have not trained collectively for ten days with the training ground having been closed for an extended period in order to stop the spread.
"It is not known precisely how many players have tested positive and nobody employed by the club will publicly confirm how bad the outbreak is.
"It can be revealed that numbers have risen, with the total number well into double figures," writes Luke Edwards in Telegraph Sport.
The outbreak was discovered after the Magpies' 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, but the players who tested positive had already mingled with the rest of the first-team squad at close quarters for a number of days.
If the tie is played on December 16th as intended, Newcastle will have seen their training preparations disrupted massively.
On the other hand, a postponement would mean Leeds have nine days between games to prepare for their visit to Old Trafford as opposed to just four.
Leeds and Newcastle both sit on 14 points in the league table with Steve Bruce's men having played a game fewer.
Next week's fixture is to be the first Premier League tie between the two clubs at Elland Road since a 2-2 draw in 2003.
