Izuchukwu OkosiArsenal will face Premier League leaders Manchester City on Saturday without manager Mikel Arteta in the dug-out after the Arsenal boss tested positive for Covid-19.
In a statement on the official website, the club say:
“Mikel Arteta will miss our match against Manchester City on New Year’s Day after testing positive for COVID-19.
” Mikel is isolating in line with Government guidelines and we wish him well.
It’s the second time this has happened to Arteta, back in March 2020 his diagnosis sparked the shutdown of football as the pandemic began in earnest.
It will obviously have an impact on match day against his former team where he was an assistant to Pep Guardiola but also when it comes to preparation for the game as he is isolating.
There must also be a concern around the squad and staff in general as Arteta would have been in close contact with many of them over the last number of days.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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