Sarina Wiegman: England manager tests positive for Covid

Sarina Wiegman: England manager tests positive for Covid
_125926886_hi077298115.jpgWiegman's side beat Norway 8-0 in their second group game

England manager Sarina Wiegman has tested positive for Covid before the team's final group game against Northern Ireland on Friday.

The Football Association says Wiegman will now "undertake a period of recovery at the squad's base camp".

Assistant coach Arjan Veurink will lead the side against Northern Ireland.

England go into the match having already qualified for the quarter-finals as group winners following wins against Austria and Norway.

They will play their last-eight game on Wednesday, 20 July.

"Wiegman will remain in remote contact with the players and technical staff and will be monitored regularly with a view to returning to all elements of her role as soon as possible," said the FA.

The quarter-final will be against the second-placed team from Group B, which currently has Germany top, Spain in second, Denmark third and Finland bottom.

Test for England as preparations disrupted - analysis

Emma Sanders, BBC Sport reporter

Wiegman's absence will come as a blow to England given she was keen to maintain "rhythm" going into Wednesday's quarter-final - and this will be a disruption in their preparations.

She has five days to recover to be on the sidelines for that crucial match - though England's time spent on the training ground and around the camp in between will be without her.

She is the second member of the England squad to have tested positive during the tournament after defender Lotte Wubben-Moy was ruled out of their second group-game victory over Norway.

Wubben-Moy was away from camp for five days, and there will be a fear that Wiegman's latest positive test could have been passed on to others in the squad.

Uefa protocols mean only those who are symptomatic have to do a test, though several high-profile players have tested positive during the group stages including Netherlands duo Jackie Groenen and Vivianne Miedema, Germany's Lea Schuller and Finland goalkeeper Tinja-Riikka Korpela.

England have had very few setbacks in the tournament, so this will be a test of how the players respond to Wiegman's absence.

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