Aston Villa have announced that manager Steven Gerrard has tested positive for coronavirus.
Earlier this week, Gerrard suggested that the West Midlands outfit were continuing to cope with an ongoing coronavirus outbreak, revealing that he may be required to call upon a number of 'fringe' players against Chelsea.
Less than 24 hours before the Boxing Day clash at Villa Park, the Premier League outfit have revealed that the Englishman will not be able to take his place in the dugout.
An official statement read: "Aston Villa can confirm Head Coach Steven Gerrard will be unable to attend our next two Premier League matches with Chelsea and Leeds United as he will be isolating after testing positive for COVID-19."
While there is no suggestion that Sunday's fixture is under threat, Tuesday's encounter at Leeds United is currently unlikely to go ahead with the Yorkshire team's training ground being closed due to their own coronavirus outbreak.
Villa's following game is at Brentford on January 2, and Gerrard will be in a position to attend that match providing that he records two negative tests in the days preceding the trip to London.
Darren Plant
