December 27, (THEWILL) – Manchester United’s interim manager, Ralf Rangnick, has joined other Premier League managers in expressing reservations about recruiting players who have not been vaccinated.
Unvaccinated players are not only at risk of becoming more seriously ill if they test positive for COVID-19, but they also face further quarantine consequences, as English laws state that if fully vaccinated, self-isolation is not required in the event of close contact with a positive case.
If an unvaccinated player is recognised as a close contact of another player on the team who has tested positive, they must self-isolate for 10 days. Those who have been double-jabbed, on the other hand, are not required to do so until they themselves later test positive.
Professional footballers have been chastised for their alleged aversion to vaccination; according to a recent survey, 25% of EFL players have no plans to get vaccinated. Rangnick is concerned about bringing someone into the United squad who may be at risk of repeating periods of self-isolation, even if he promotes freedom of thought.
Jurgen Klopp, the manager of Liverpool, is the most visible example of a Premier League manager who is a staunch supporter of the COVID-19 vaccination and has ruled out recruiting unvaccinated players, as THEWILL reported.
Speaking at length on the subject, Rangnick said: “I think it could be a consideration and I fully understand what Jurgen said. But it also depends if you want to sign a player and risk him not being available. This is an issue the clubs seriously have to think about.
“If you sign a player knowing from the very first day that he has not been vaccinated, you have to be aware that he might not be available – not only for ten days, but this could happen regularly in Covid times.
“Those are the regulations, this is the case and, as I said, it may not just happen once, it could happen several times in the future and therefore it should also be in the interest of players to be vaccinated. But, as I said, in the end it’s a decision that each club has to take by themselves and find the best possible solution.
“You had the example of Joshua Kimmich, who was extremely hesitant at the beginning and I think in the meantime he has realised it might be a good idea to get vaccinated. He caught Covid, he still has some problems with his lungs. Hopefully, he’ll be back after Christmas in the new year at full strength and can play again for Bayern Munich.
“I think this is an issue where of course everybody can and should have his free will but I think in football, especially at this level we are playing at, we need to try to convince our players to get vaccinated.
“And to be honest, I don’t know which of our players have had two or three vaccinations. This is a question that only our medical department could answer but I know from our medical department that our ratio of vaccinated players is above the average of the Premier League.”
United recently had two games postponed as a result of a COVID-19 outbreak in the squad but will play for the first time in 16 days when they travel to Newcastle on Monday night.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
