Asked whether he thought the Premier League had opened itself up to showing bias towards certain clubs, Rodgers replied: “I think you’re on the right lines. For the integrity of the competition, it’s important, but I’m pretty sure games will have been called off where teams have had less players unavailable than we have.”

On whether Spurs had been handed an advantage, despite their own problems, Rodgers said: “One hundred per cent, yeah.”

Rodgers believes that the fact a host of this week’s matches are being broadcast live on television has influenced decisions over whether games are postponed.

“I’m pretty sure that’s the case, yes,” he said. “We all want to play the games. But, ultimately, the health of the player is priority. That’s nothing to do with money.”

Rodgers is expected to be without Kelechi Iheanacho, Ademola Lookman, Jannik Vestergaard, Ayoze Perez, Hamza Choudhury, Filip Benkovic and Vontae Daley-Campbell through Covid or illness, while James Justin, Wesley Fofana, Caglar Soyuncu and Jonny Evans are injured.

Tottenham’s training ground reopened this week and head coach Antonio Conte confirmed that players were starting to return after recovering from coronavirus, but would need time to regain fitness.

“The situation has not changed so much,” Conte said. “The players are back in training and other players are continuing to be isolated, but also for the players back in training, they need time.”

There is flexibility to play postponed matches later in the season but the Premier League has little flexibility over extending the season beyond May 22 due to the need to start the 2022-23 campaign a week early so football can stage the World Cup in Qatar next November.

Klopp: Players with Covid should be named publicly

By Chris Bascombe

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has called for more Premier League transparency as to why fixtures are being called off due to Covid cases.

His comments came before Burnley announced  the postponement of their Premier League fixture against Watford because of “an ongoing Covid outbreak within the opposition squad”.

“Burnley can confirm tonight’s match against Watford has been postponed due to an ongoing Covid outbreak within the opposition squad,” the Clarets said in a brief statement.

Liverpool manager Klopp suggested there is no reason why there should be a veil of secrecy around players and staff’s positive tests. He is the latest coach to query the rules, suggesting there should be clarity as to how many infections will force a match to be postponed.

“I think it would be pretty helpful if we really know what the situation is,” said Klopp.

“From my point of view, I don’t understand 100 percent why we are not more open. A lot of people catch covid at the moment. That is how it is. If I catch it, and hopefully not, I would be completely fine to tell people I have it. Why do we hide it – why does nobody know the number of players who have it? It is always a little bit like ‘some staff’ and ‘some players’.

“Come on, say it, and then everyone can understand why you are not able to play and these kinds of things. I would prefer that but I am not sure whether from a legal point of view that is possible. It would be helpful. We just have no idea. We play Tottenham on Sunday and we have no idea who is available – ok they play tomorrow night so we might have a little idea – but apart from that we have no idea who is able to play or not. 

“That is different to usual preparations for a game. It is not the most important subject but it shows the information could be slightly different. I don’t know if that is possible from a legal point of view, but we are all in the same situation as human beings and I really think nobody should hide.”

Klopp says Liverpool have reported no recent positive Covid tests, and everyone working at the club’s AXA Training Ground has been at least double vaccinated, with the majority also receiving their booster jab already.

The German coach says players and staff believe being vaccinated is a show of ‘solidarity’.

“It is absolutely helpful when people around you know you are not in the best place so they can help you,” he said.

“But if people don’t know they can doubt it, or whatever, that is why I think a bit more transparency would be helpful.

“We get tested every day before we arrive and if it is negative we are allowed into the training ground. Like the whole world we are concerned, but we do what we can. Everyone eligible is boosted.

“The whole vaccination process is a question of solidarity, loyalty and togetherness. We have a chance to help not only ourselves, but other people. There are not two possible answers. There is only one answer. You do it.”

Clubs could shun unvaccinated players in transfer window

By Jeremy Wilson and Sam Dean

Eddie Howe has become the latest Premier League manager to suggest unvaccinated players risk being shunned in the transfer market, with clubs also told that they now have a strong legal case to impose mandatory vaccination.

The number of fully-vaccinated players in the Premier League is understood to have risen to around 80 per cent since the last officially released figure of 68 per cent in October, but there are major differences between squads and increasing calls for clubs to take a more robust stance with those refusing the jab. 

Newcastle United are expected to be active in next month’s transfer window and, with three Premier League matches cancelled in the past four days due to Covid-19, clubs are carefully assessing the vaccination status of prospective signings.

The issue for clubs is not simply whether unvaccinated players are more likely to spark outbreaks, but Government protocols on close contacts. People who are double jabbed are not currently required to self-isolate if they come into contact with people who have tested positive for Covid-19. Unvaccinated people, however, must quarantine for 10 days, meaning that just one or two positive tests could spiral into widespread unavailability if those players have been in close contact with unvaccinated players. 

In Germany, unvaccinated players have been docked wages for every game or training day they missed after coming into contact with a Covid-positive person.

In the United States, the National Football League has placed liability for any postponement or cancellation resulting from non-vaccinated players on the club experiencing the infection. Unvaccinated NFL players are also subject to much stricter protocols, including daily testing, restricted use of team facilities and effectively having to remain quarantined from the wider public during away games. These rules have helped drive the vaccination rate up to almost 95 per cent. 

Joseph Lappin, the head of employment law at the legal firm Stewarts, says the vast majority of player contracts will require them to follow “reasonable and lawful instructions” and that vaccination could be argued to fall into this category. “It could be on health and safety grounds but it could also be because it thinks having too many unvaccinated players means there is too high a risk of games being called off,” he said. “They may simply decide it is a necessary requirement of the job.” 

It is understood that some clubs are now exploring their legal position and, as in Germany, Lappin believes that clubs would have reasonable grounds to withhold salaries if players simply ignored a new club policy and then became infected or had to self-isolate. 

Multiple clubs have also told Telegraph Sport that vaccination status will form part of their background transfer checks. “It’s something we will be considering,” said Howe. The Premier League introduced daily lateral flow testing of players on Monday and the EFL is now actively considering moving to its ‘red’ protocols. This would involve a new regime for testing players, as well as restrictions on the use of indoor spaces at the training ground and separating first-team players from those in other age-groups.