Sheffield United's pre-season preparations have been majorly disrupted after a Covid-19 outbreak has forced the squad into self-isolation and home exercise, as reported by The Sun.

According to the report, two first-team players tested positive for the virus, meaning that those two had to stay in Spain.

The players who did return a positive test have not been named, but the report states that it was a forward and a reserve goalkeeper.

It is expected that the squad will now be confined to training alone and isolating - a scenario that has become rather common during pandemic football.

With just three weeks until the season begins, this situation comes at a very unfavourable time with pre-season in full flow. Slavisa Jokanovic has been tasked with somewhat of a rebuild project in Yorkshire, and this will only disrupt his plans.

The Blades kick off their Championship campaign at home to Birmingham on August 7, and they will be hopeful that they can push through this setback and continue their improvement.

The Verdict

It is a very unfortunate circumstance but one that is becoming common, and it would be no real surprise to see other clubs hit with similar problems in the coming weeks.

It means Jokanovic will have to re-think certain aspects of his pre-season preparations, but it is not a total disaster. It will give the Serbian manager a chance to perhaps approach the upcoming campaign from a tactical perspective with fewer training sessions planned.

He will have full faith in his squad to keep fit in these difficult times and possess the same hunger as if they were at training.

It is certainly an obstacle but it should not fully disrupt everything that Jokanovic is trying to build at the club.