England’s chances of winning the European Championships have been rocked by news manager Sarina Wiegman will almost certainly miss next week’s quarter-final after testing positive for Covid.
Telegraph Sport understand that Wiegman is suffering from nasty flu-like symptoms and the FA have already privately accepted that it is already almost certain she won’t be able to be in the dugout when they play their first knockout match on Wednesday night.
It is a huge blow to the team and there are fears that the virus has spread within the camp, with players, coaches and support staff all coming into contact with Wiegman in the past 48 hours.
UEFA guidelines, which have been followed by England so far, only require people to be tested if they show symptoms, but the stakes are too high for it to stay that way.
The weekend will be crucial and sources in the camp insist they can only wait and see how many more infections are picked up.
Wiegman was not on the sidelines when England took on Northern Ireland on Friday nightthough that was of little consequence as they had already won the group.
Instead, it is the impact it will have on preparations for next Wednesday’s quarter-final that will alarm supporters and the FA alike.
England will face either Spain or Denmark in their first knockout match of the tournament in five days. Wiegman would have to test negative the morning of the game to be on the sidelines and in the locker room. That seems unlikely, as some infections take more than a week to clear up, but it is now a race against time.
Wiegman has not lost a game since he replaced Phil Neville as England manager last year and her impact on the squad has been huge, both tactically and mentally.
Her calm presence on match day was also a big part of the Lionesses’ success. Wiegman reportedly tested positive on Friday morning, so she has five days to recover before the quarterfinals, but won’t be able to oversee training before then.
An FA statement read: “England head coach Sarina Wiegman has tested positive for Covid and will undergo a period of recovery at the squad’s base camp. Assistant coach Arjan Veurink will lead the squad for tonight’s game against Northern Ireland. Wiegman will maintain remote contact with the players and coaching staff and will be monitored regularly to return to all elements of her role as soon as possible.”