LONDON Jan 3 — Manchester City defender Eric Garcia and a staff member have tested positive for Covid-19, the Premier League club said today.

"Both personnel will now observe a period of self-isolation in accordance with Premier League and UK Government protocol on quarantine,” City said in a statement .

On Friday, City manager Pep Guardiola said five first-team players had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and would not be involved in their game at Chelsea, scheduled for 1630 GMT on Sunday.

The club said last week that striker Gabriel Jesus and defender Kyle Walker had tested positive, though Guardiola did not name the other three infected players.

A surge in infections at City among players and staff forced the club to lodge a request with the league to postpone Monday’s game at Everton.

City are eighth in the league table with 26 points after 14 games. — Reuters