There were just eight positive coronavirus tests out of 2,518 Premier League players and club staff over two rounds of testing which took place last week.

This was a 50 per cent drop on the previous week, when 16 cases were recorded. On January 11, the league announced 36 positives.

The first round of testing last week took place between Monday, January 18 and Thursday, January 21, when the eight positive results were recorded.

No positive tests came back from samples taken between Friday, January 22 and Sunday, January 24.

The improved results will be seen as a real boost to the league, which has imposed tighter Covid-19 protocols in a bid to ward off any threat of the competition being suspended.

The individuals who tested positive must now self-isolate for a period of 10 days, the league announced.

The last Premier League fixture to be postponed because of a Covid outbreak was Aston Villa's match against Everton which had been due to be played on Sunday, January 17.