Three members of the West Ham United team, including manager David Moyes, have tested positive for COVID-19.
Defender Isa Diop and midfielder Josh Cullen are the others to have contracted the respiratory disease.
The club learned of the status of the three before its EFL Cup game against Hull City on Tuesday.
In a statement, West Ham said Moyes, Diop, and Cullen were all sent home and have since self-isolated.
“The manager and both players immediately left the stadium and have returned home,” the club said, adding that all three men were asymptomatic.
The Hammers went ahead to record a resounding 5-1 victory over Hull City to advance to the next stage of the EFL Cup.
Wishing a speedy recovery to former Everton Manager, David Moyes who has tested positive for COVID-19 pic.twitter.com/YRNsAEHRBV
— 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀 (@EvertonNewsFeed) September 22, 2020
Assistant manager Alan Irvine who took charge of the game said everyone was shocked by the turn of events.
“At 18:20 we suddenly got some information from our doctor and head physio to say there were three positive tests, the manager and the two players.
“We’d had contact insofar as we were in the same area of the stadium as David. We’d been at the stadium for about two hours before the match started.
“We were shocked by the news. We’ve had so many tests and not had any positive. But we’ve been very particular about protocol right from the start – the medical team are very aware of what has been happening and we’ve followed all the protocol, and we’ll be following protocol now.”
Meanwhile, Hull City confirmed that they felt comfortable going on with the game after consulting with the English Football League.
