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Blackburn Rovers captain, Elliott Bennett and two Fulham players whose identities were undisclosed have tested positive for coronavirus in the latest round of EFL testing.
Blackburn confirmed, in a statement, that Bennett became the third player whose result returned positive, after 1,030 players and club staff were tested on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
The English Championship club stated that he is asymptomatic and is feeling no ill-effects but will self-isolate at home for the next week.
“I feel fit and healthy,” Bennett told the club’s website. “Hopefully this sends out a positive message to the community that perhaps many people have or have had the virus without showing any effects.
“I obviously would never have known if we hadn’t returned to training and taken the tests, because I don’t feel unwell and have got no symptoms whatsoever.
“There seems to have been a lot of hysteria about footballers returning to training, but it’s not a big deal at all. It’s the people who are seriously ill in hospital that we need to worry about, not footballers who are fit and healthy, and who aren’t showing any signs of being unwell.”
Meanwhile the two Fulham Players who tested positive for the virus are said to be in self-isolation in line with EFL and government guidance.
“Both players, who shall remain unnamed due to medical confidentiality, are now self-isolating in line with league and government guidance,” the west London club said in a statement.
The EFL said in a statement: “Those players or club staff who have tested positive will now self-isolate in line with the guidelines provided by the EFL and only those who have tested negative will be permitted to enter training ground facilities.
“The EFL will continue to make regular and relevant announcements as appropriate in respect of the testing programme to support competition integrity and transparency.”
The results, which show that well over 99.5 per cent of those tested were negative, is a further boost to the Championship’s restart plans, with the competition hoping to resume at some stage next month, according to Mirror Sports.
Votes on curtailing the League One and Two seasons are expected next week.
At Premier League level, four individuals from three clubs were found to be COVID-19 positive in the testing round conducted on Monday and Tuesday, which covered 1,008 tests.
Top-flight clubs voted unanimously in favour of a return to contact training on Wednesday and are meeting again today to discuss wider issues such as the restart date, the rebate to broadcasters, neutral venues and models for curtailment.
