Norwich boss casts Covid doubt over Hammers match

Norwich City boss Dean Smith has cast a doubt over the London Stadium clash against the Hammers this weekend after reporting a number of coronavirus problems within his squad.

The Canaries have played Spurs and Manchester United recently with both team suffering outbreaks later which may suggest the game on Saturday may be in danger.

With new protocols in place since this morning where all players have to be tested before being allowed into the training ground things may or may not improve although Smithremains cautious in his assessment of the situation.

The last time Claretandhugh inquired we learned there were no issues among our lads and it’s important that remains the case as there is no Premier League imposed number on how many must be out with the virus before a game can be called off.

Smith has said he will know the Norwich situation within 48 hours so it’s a case of waiting and seeing at the moment.

He said: “What we don’t want to be doing is taking risks going into games where there is an opportunity for it to be passed around during a game.

“I don’t know [about West Ham]. I will find out over the next 48 hours from the medical staff about our cases. I have seen new Premier League protocols where we are tested every day. The heat is on, not just across football but across the country.

“I would normally name the team the day before and could have eight players [affected] who would be in the first team.

Then the fact Ozan goes down and Sam Byram makes his first appearance in two years, we are down to the bare bones. I don’t want to make that excuse but there are reasons why we were off it.”