PSG goalie Donnarumma tests positive for Covid

PSG goalie Donnarumma tests positive for Covid

It comes a day after the Italian international played in a French Cup match.

Gianluigi Donnarumma (left) joins a growing list of PSG players, including Lionel Messi, to catch Covid. (AP pic)
PARIS:
Paris St Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has tested positive for Covid-19, the club announced yesterday, the day after he played in a French Cup match.

Donnarumma will miss Sunday’s Ligue 1 match at Lyon with Costa Rica’s Keylor Navas likely to fill in.

The 22-year-old Italian international joins a growing list of PSG players who have been sidelined by positive tests.

Five players, including Lionel Messi and Danilo Pereira, were absent from the team that eased into the last 16 of the French Cup on Monday with a 4-0 win over fourth-division Vannes.

“It’s a very strange virus. We are following the situation of each player. We know that there may be more infections,” said PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino on Monday.

“We are a team that respects the controls and the obligation to test ourselves. We hope that there will be no additional cases.”

Juan Bernat, who contracted the coronavirus during the Ligue 1 winter break, is no longer on the list, after obtaining two negative tests on Monday and yesterday, the club said.

The Spanish defender will resume training today.

PSG are not alone in facing numerous positive tests following an increase in infections in France after the arrival of the Omicron variant.

Several Ligue 1 teams have been hit including Bordeaux, Lorient, Angers and Lille.

Sunday’s match between Angers and St Etienne has already been postponed while Friday’s meeting between Bordeaux and Marseille is under threat.

Bordeaux, who had as many as 21 players out of action, were set to request a postponement from the league yesterday.

“There are 17 players unavailable … we will ask for the postponement,” said Bordeaux after yesterday’s PCR tests were carried out.

Ten of the positive tests came after the players reported back for training after the Christmas break.

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