United captain, Harry Maguire says their 1-1 draw against struggling Newcastle was caused by the outbreak of Covid-19 in their camp
By Kehinde Okeowo
Manchester United secured a scrappy 1-1 draw away at St James’ Park yesterday, and their captain, Harry Maguire has blamed their poor performance on a coronavirus outbreak in the Red devil’s camp.
Allan Saint-Maximin scored a first-half goal to put Newcastle ahead in the 7th minute, but substitute, Edinson Cavani, ensured a scarcely-deserved parity for United in the 71st minute of the game.
United needed the win to cover the gap opening up between them and Arsenal in the race for the last position in the top four, while Newcastle wanted a win desperately in their bid to avoid relegation and register a second win for the season.
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Speaking to MUTV after the game, United defender Maguire blamed the poor showing on the outbreak of coronavirus in their camp.
According to him, United’s training ground has been shut down due to the outbreak of the virus and the situation is not helping the team’s preparation.
He said: “The training ground has been shut, half the lads plying today are recovering from the virus. So, of course, it is not going to help us. We don’t want to use it as an excuse, but, of course, it has a big impact on the game.”
The 28-year-old defender also said the fact that some players were just recovering from the virus affected their tempo and the outcome of the game.
He added, “I feel like the intensity and the tempo, maybe we ran out of steam a little bit, which is understandable considering the situation we’ve been in.”
The centre-back sang the praises of goalkeeper David De Gea, who made several important saves to deny the hosts and keep the game level.
”David’s on great form at the minute,“ said Maguire. ”In big moments, it always seems to be, late on in games, that he’s always there to produce for us.
Covid-19 outbreak has ravaged the Premier League with several fixtures cancelled. Three games were suspended on Boxing day and Arsenals’ midweek clash against Wolves has already been postponed.
