Leeds United's Boxing Day Liverpool clash called off and Aston Villa game in doubt as Whites suffer Covid-19 outbreak

The Whites have had five new positive Covid-19 cases within the first team squad and staff, all of whom are asymptomatic which the club believes is due to their high vaccine take up. Leeds currently boast a vaccination of 99 per cent.

A club statement said: "The positive cases, combined with our well documented injury issues, means that we would not have enough recognised first-team players to meet the Premier League requirements for the fixture.

"The training ground at Thorp Arch will be closed for a period of two days on the advice of Public Health England. We would like to thank the Premier League for the support and advice they have provided during this period.

"All tickets and official travel booked for the Liverpool game will be valid for the rearranged date, further details to be announced in due course."

The Premier League also accepted a postponement request from Watford as a result of Covid-19 cases.

A statement said: "The Premier League Board met this morning and regrettably agreed to call off the two affected clubs’ Boxing Day fixtures. The two games are Wolverhampton Wanderers versus Watford FC and Liverpool FC against Leeds United, both due to be played on Sunday at 12:30pm.

"The Board today was able to make its decisions in advance of Boxing Day to give clarity to clubs and their supporters. We apologise for the inconvenience and disruption caused to those fans’ festive plans.

"The League is aware that the decision to postpone these two matches will disappoint supporters and understands their frustrations at a special time of year when fans look forward to attending and watching football games. The League aims to provide as much clarity as possible, but unfortunately postponements sometimes have to be made at short notice, as safety is the priority. The League will endeavour to keep supporters updated if games become at risk on a matchday.

"The Board concluded that Leeds United will not be able to fulfil their fixture this weekend due to the number of players with COVID-19, injuries and illness. The club’s training ground has also been closed after consultation with the UK Health Security Agency and the Premier League."

Leeds have been without Liam Cooper, Patrick Bamford, Kalvin Phillips, Jamie Shackleton, Pascal Struijk, Rodrigo, Daniel James and Jamie Shackleton through injury and Jack Harrison limped out of the game against Arsenal. Diego Llorente also missed that game through Covid-19 although may have been available to face Liverpool on Boxing Day due to the change in government rules.

Positive cases now need to isolate for only seven days, if they test negative on day six and seven.