[ad_1]
West Brom is currently 18th on their return to the Premier League
West Brom boss Slaven Bilic says several of his squad tested positive for coronavirus in the international recess.
Bilic lost Branislav Ivanovic and Matheus Pereira to a loss to Tottenham on 8 November after they gave positive test results in preparation for the match.
Forward Callum Robinson also tested positive after playing as an international for the Republic of Ireland.
All three are clear against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.
However, Bilic says that he is still waiting for other members of his squad and has changed the training schedule on his side to allow time for the results to come in.
“We had some positive players, but I can’t name the names,” said the Croatian. “We are doing everything we can. We are waiting for results.”
Bilic also said he had been part of a Premier League coaches meeting on Wednesday that spent a lot of time debating whether to return five substitutes.
He said he was aware of the player’s well-being and that decisions should be made with that in mind, but feels that the Premier League should make the decision.
He said: “It would benefit all the clubs in the sense of the well-being of the players given the schedule, especially for the clubs in Europe. It is tough and difficult.”
“We talked about it yesterday for two or three hours. The break was not long enough and well-being is the most important thing. The Premier League has to decide.”
Bilic also believes that urgent action is needed regarding dementia.
The Professional Soccer Players Association (PFA) is creating a new task force to further examine the topic of in-game brain injury diseases.
The union will contact Dawn Astle, the daughter of former West Brom favorite Jeff Astle, who died at 59 in 2002.
Neuropathologist Willie Stewart said the former England striker died of a brain condition normally related to boxers, which was caused by head balls.
“It’s very important,” Bilic said of the new task force. “We are connected to Jeff Astle. His family has done a brilliant job with the foundation (the external link of the Jeff Astle Foundation founded in 2015 dedicated to raising awareness of brain injury in all sports).
“The PFA has to do something, I don’t know how. The players have to be taken care of properly. This is even more important than a few more substitutes.”
Source: bbc.com
[ad_2]
