Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has questioned the benefit of a potential Premier League circuit breaker, championed by the likes of Sam Allardyce, amid a spike in positive cases among players and staff alike.

After Manchester City’s match at Everton on Monday was postponed due to cases within the City camp, there were doubts over Sheffield United’s trip to Burnley on Tuesday, The Blades confirmed ‘a number’ of cases shortly after the Premier League reported a record number of positive results following the latest round of tests but the fixture at Turf Moor ultimately went ahead with Chris Wilder’s side suffering another damaging defeat.

According to reports, the Premier League clubs have discussed a potential two-week break to guard against the ramification of potential mass cancellations and the impact that would have on an already congested schedule.

Speaking after last night’s 5-0 defeat against Leeds, new West Brom manager Allardyce threw his support behind a break in play both for sporting reasons and personal concerns.

He said: ‘When I listen to the news the variant virus transmits quicker than the original virus, we can only do the right thing which is have a circuit break. ‘I am 66 years old and the last thing I want to do is catch Covid. I’m very concerned for myself and football in general. If that’s what needs to be done we need to do it.’

By contrast, Solskjaer, who watched his Manchester United side go second in the table last night following Marcus Rashford’s injury time winner against Wolves, struggles to see the logic in suspending domestic football.

The premier league season is slated to finish on May 23, three weeks before the already rescheduled European Championships and a potential ‘circuit breaker’ would be unfeasible, according to the United manager.

‘It’s not something I’ve thought about a lot and we as a club, a group and our players have been really good following protocols and rules,’ he said. ‘That’s part of the job here. We as clubs follow protocols we’re given. I can’t see the benefit in having a break – when are we going to play the games? ‘We all know it’s so difficult, but if you just stop more games I don’t think that’s going to make a big, big change. It might be a longer one, so when do we finish the season?’