De Ligt becomes 3rd player to test positive for COVID-19 at Juventus

Rome, Jan 8, 2021 (AFP) - Netherlands defender Matthijs De Ligt has become the third Juventus player to test positive for coronavirus this week, the Italian champions said on Friday.

De Ligt follows teammates Alex Sandro and Juan Cuadrado in missing this weekend's league match against Sassuolo as well as next Sunday's trip to Inter Milan and January 20's Italian Super Cup final with Napoli due to the illness.

"Juventus Football Club announces that, during the checks provided for by the protocol in force, Matthijs De Ligt has emerged positive with Covid 19," Juve said.

"The player has already been placed in solitary confinement."

According to local reports, Andrea Pirlo's squad will undergo tests to discover the presence of a virus cluster.

In October, Juve's Cristiano Ronaldo missed almost three weeks of games after contracting the illness, and in March, Daniele Rugani, the club's former defender, was the Italian top flight's first player to test positive for the virus.