Premier League clubs have agreed to test players up to nine times a week in an attempt to hold back the tidal wave of Covid-19 caused by the Omicron variant and prevent a shut down in the top flight.
The move follows the dramatic escalation in the occurrence of coronavirus within elite clubs, with 42 new cases identified last week, and two top flight matches already called off.
The transmissibility of the new variant and its prevalence among younger people poses a significant challenge to football clubs, where staff and players work in close proximity.