Sheffield United continue to take coronavirus advice

But Wilder confirmed United are receiving advice, from both government health officers and their own medical team, ahead of this weekend’s visit to St James’ Park.

“We’re taking our lead from the league, the government and our in-house doctors,” the United manager said. “There’s emails flying around and hygiene and such like.

“We’re doing as much as we can to protect ourselves.”

Forty-eight hours before United’s win over Reading, which saw them finish the latest round of fixtures seventh in the table, PL officials instructed member clubs not to take part in the traditional pre-match handshake. But with the players, the referee and his assistants all ignoring this advice after the final whistle had blown at Bramall Lane, one suspects the ruling body was simply indulging in gesture politics. Particularly because it oversees what remains a contact sport.

With the confirmed number of coronavirus cases in the UK rising to 319, around 0.0005 per cent of the population, it has also been suggested that anyone over 70 could be prohibited from entering football stadiums, although similar measures are not yet apparently being discussed for other public places such as high streets, shopping centres and restuarants.