Preston North End squad and backroom staff to undergo Covid-19 tests after member of coaching team shows symptoms

Four of the coaches went into self-isolation ahead of the FA Cup defeat to Wycombe after one of them displayed symptoms of the virus.

It left staff numbers thin on the ground at Adams Park, with manager Alex Neil only having the help of assistant keeper coach Jack Cudworth and the fitness coaches.

Those isolating include Steve Thompson, Mike Pollitt, Frankie McAvoy and Paul Gallagher, although medical confidentiality means the individual with symptoms isn’t being identified.

The individual concerned has been tested and the result being awaited.

Separately, PNE winger Tom Barkhuizen is currently isolating, that period due to end in the middle of the week.

A track and trace from outside the club led to him having to isolate under Government rules.

All EFL clubs will start twice weekly lateral flow tests from today, funded by the PFA.

For today’s testing though, North End are funding the nose and throat swab tests which have been used through the pandemic.

It tends to take around 48 hours for results of those tests to come back.

Speaking after the 4-1 loss to Wycombe, Neil said: “We need to get them tested, we need to get everyone tested.

“The likelihood is we will have a testing programme and won’t be able to train until we have the results.

“It came from one individual having symptoms within the group. That is more concerning than a track and trace.”

North End’s display in the Wycombe defeat bitterly disappointed Neil.

He made seven changes but those on the fringes on the squad who came in, didn’t take their changes.

“Wycombe are a front foot team, everything they do is in front of them,” said Neil.

“They want to jump, want to be aggressive, want to get after the ball. The way to take that pressure away is to play the ball behind them,

“That is why we had Emil Riis in the team and the one time we did that, we got the penalty.

“We were 3-0 down at that point, we didn’t give ourselves an opportunity to win the game. Some of the lads didn’t take the chance they got.”

On the transfer front, the Lilywhites are still working on a deal to sign Doncaster’s Ben Whiteman.

The midfielder didn’t feature in Donny’s 1-0 FA Cup win at Blackburn.

It is believed that the player favours a move to Deepdale but it is getting a fee agreed with the South Yorkshire club which is the issue at the moment.

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