Manchester City hit by three more positive Covid tests as Scott Carson and Cole Palmer ruled out

Carson, Palmer and a member of staff test positive become the latest to test positive at the club

Manchester City goalkeeper Scott Carson (AFP via Getty Images)

Manchester City have announced that Scott Carson, Cole Palmer and a member of staff have tested positive for COVID-19.

Carson and Palmer become the latest members of Pep Guardiola’s squad to be sidelined by the virus following an outbreak over the Christmas period.

Gabriel Jesus, Kyle Walker, Ederson, Eric Garcia, Ferran Torres and Tommy Doyle have already returned positive tests and missed Sunday’s 3-1 win at Chelsea as a result.

Former England international Carson is City’s third-choice goalkeeper and is yet to make an appearance for the club since joining on loan from Derby County at the start of the 2019-20 season.

Palmer has made two appearances for City this season, debuting in the EFL Cup win over Burnley in September. The 18-year-old attacking midfielder is a highly-rated prospect from the club’s academy.

In a statement, City said that Carson, Palmer and the member of staff would now “observe a period of self-isolation in accordance with Premier League and UK Government protocol on quarantine".

Ahead of City’s EFL Cup semi-final against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday night, Guardiola admitted that City do not currently have many players to choose from due to the virus outbreak.

“We don’t have many players and like I said after the first press conference, to play one or two games is OK but if this sustains for a long time and I can only use 14 or 15 players it will be more difficult," he said.

"Like everyone in the world, we adapt, you have to adjust our lives and our professions as much as possible recover well and the guys handle it well and try to avoid it as much as possible.”