Neil Warnock has tested positive for coronavirus and will miss Middlesbrough’s Championship game at home to Bournemouth on Saturday.
Boro’s manager was also absent from the home Carabao Cup defeat by Barnsley on Tuesday after feeling mildly unwell. A positive test subsequently confirmed the 71-year-old had Covid-19 and he is working on transfers and game plans from home. Kevin Blackwell and Ronnie Jepson will again take temporary charge this weekend.
The club said Warnock – a regular on flights between Teesside and Newquay as he shuttles between the north-east and his family home in Cornwall – was “in high spirits” and they looked forward to welcoming him back following a period of isolation. As a precaution Boro have tested their coaching staff but all received negative results.
Although the prohibitive costs dictate weekly coronavirus testing is no longer mandatory for EFL clubs and the next round of swab checks is not scheduled until mid-October, any Boro player displaying symptoms will be tested.
The reduction in EFL player testing – which will take place only after international breaks – has concerned Premier League executives to the point where one top-tier club facing lower-league opposition in the Carabao Cup this week is understood to have paid for their opponents to be tested.
On Saturday 1,000 fans will be allowed into the Riverside after Middlesbrough v Bournemouth was chosen as a pilot fixture, trialling the much-needed return of supporters to EFL fixtures.
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