Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will be absent for his side’s New Year’s Day clash with Manchester City after testing positive for coronavirus.
The Spaniard is now isolating and will be unable to attend the tea-time kick-off at the Emirates Stadium.
A club statement read: “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.”
Arteta is still expected to do press duties ahead of the game on Thursday.
Arteta previously contracted the virus in March 2020, which prompted the shutdown of English football at the start of the pandemic.
🚨 Mikel Arteta will miss our match against Manchester City on New Year’s Day, after testing positive for COVID-19— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 29, 2021
Assistants Albert Stuivenberg and Steve Round will be in charge on match day.
The Gunners were without a number of players during their 5-0 win at Norwich on Boxing Day due to coronavirus, with Calum Chambers, Cedric Soares, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Ainsley Maitland-Niles among those infected.
Their game with Wolves on Tuesday was postponed due to an outbreak in Bruno Lage’s squad.
‘Managing Leeds? It was an option that appeared, but it wasn’t the right timing. I decided it wasn’t a good idea to leave the club I was at mid-season’: Premier League boss admits to turning down opportunity to replace Jesse Marsch in 2023
‘Ruben Amorim could have waited for Real Madrid and had a better chance to be successful – to have joined Manchester United, he must be convinced in his own ability’ Former Old Trafford coach’s verdict on new boss
