Aston Villa To Consider COVID-19 Vaccine During Transfer — Gerrard

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has raised the issue that COVID-19 vaccine status could be considered when the club looks to bolster their squad during the transfer window in January given the recent cases across England.

The Premier League said on Monday it was re-introducing "emergency measures" after a record 42 cases among players and staff at clubs over the past week, shortly before Manchester United's game against Brentford was called off due to an outbreak at the Old Trafford club.

England's top-flight is in the midst of its busiest time of the season, with teams involved in the League Cup playing at least twice a week until the first week of January and further cancellations could leave an unwelcome fixture pile-up.

United's game against Brentford was the second to be postponed this season due to Covid-19 after Tottenham Hotspur's game at Brighton & Hove Albion over the weekend was called off.

Tottenham's outbreak also meant their Uefa Conference League clash against Vitesse Arnhem last week was called off.

Leicester City, Brighton and Hove Albion, Norwich City, and Aston Villa have also reported cases as the new Omicron coronavirus variant takes hold in Britain.

Clubs have been enjoying full stadiums again this season after playing for months in front of empty or restricted capacity stands from the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

The festive period is traditionally a feast for fans in Britain, with broadcaster Sky Sports trailing its coverage with the slogan "Christmas is for Football".

But rising Covid-19 infections are threatening to put a dampener on the hectic holiday programme, raising fears of a return to restricted attendances or even empty stadiums as seen in Germany and the Netherlands.

From Wednesday, fans will need to show proof of double vaccination under England's "plan B" of measures to slow the spread of the Omicron variant that is being voted on by legislators on Tuesday.