Manchester United have been handed a major fitness boost ahead of Saturday’s clash with West Brom after Alex Telles returned a negative result in his latest COVID-19 test.
Telles has missed United’s last five matches in all competitions after testing positive in late October and was forced to self-isolate away from the first team squad for two weeks as per Government guidelines.
The 27-year-old was expected to return to action when West Brom arrive at Old Trafford this weekend after he completed his isolation period and rebuilt his fitness after resuming full training with the rest of the squad earlier this month.
Telles was called-up to the Brazilian squad for their World Cup qualifiers during the current international break and made a substitute appearance during their 1-0 win over Venezuela last Friday night.
The left-back then looked as though he was facing another frustrating spell on the sidelines after testing positive for a second time over the weekend and ManUtd.com released a statement earlier today saying they were monitoring the situation closely.
However, Telles took another test today and journalist Jonathan Shrager claims the Brazilian Press Office have confirmed the Man Utd defender’s latest test came back negative meaning he’ll travel to Uruguay for Brazil’s game tomorrow night.
Shrager also says that the latest development means Telles should be available for Manchester United’s clash with West Brom – although the club will probably want him to provide another negative result when he returns to England later this week.
He said on Twitter:
CBF [Brazil’s Press Office] report that Telles’s latest Covid test is negative, so he will travel to Uruguay. This also means Alex will probably be eligible for #MUFC’s game this weekend, though I imagine United’s medical staff will want him to have another negative test result upon returning to England
Brazilian outlet UOL, via the Metro, also report that Telles’ latest test came back negative so it looks as though Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been handed a huge boost ahead of their return to league action on Saturday.
With Luke Shaw ruled out for around a month, Telles is going to play a vital role for United over the coming weeks as they head into a hectic period that sees them play 11 games in just 37 days.
The South American has endured a frustrating time since joining Man Utd from Porto in early October as he made just 1 appearance before being ruled out following his first COVID-19 positive test.
However, Telles is now in-line to make his full Premier League debut when Manchester United welcome West Brom to Old Trafford on Saturday as long as he returns another negative result when he arrives back in England later this week.
