Leicester would have been without 13 players due to Covid, illness or injury, though Tottenham were said to be “frustrated” after travelling to the city the previous night.

Burnley’s game against Watford on Wednesday was called off three hours before kick-off, yet Sean Dyche has suggested clubs should utilise their squads instead of abandoning games.

“Many of these clubs carry massive squads, when do we come to a time when we say we just have to play, within reason, the players that you have got?” he said.

“I don’t know when we get to that point but if this keeps going, how many games do you call off and wait to get back on?

“There is nothing to say there won’t be Covid cases when we try to slide in the games we’ve missed. You have these squads for a reason and these Under-20s. We talk about these young players getting a chance.

“Some of the super-power clubs have 48 pros and 30 of them are internationals. We haven’t got that so of course they are going to be stronger. We don’t want to lose the competitive edge of the league completely.”

Only 59 per cent of EFL players double jabbed – and a quarter are refusing to get vaccinated

By Jeremy Wilson

Footballers have been warned to get vaccinated or live with an increased risk to themselves and their loved ones of serious illness or death after new figures revealed that a quarter of players are refusing to get jabbed.

In announcing new “red” Covid-19 protocols for the Championship, League One and League Two, the English Football League also published their player vaccination data for the first time, which showed that only 59% of players across their 72 clubs are double jabbed. A further 16% of players have had one vaccine, taking that total to 75%, but the remaining group do not currently intend to get vaccinated.

A new campaign is now being launched to urge footballers to get vaccinated, with unjabbed players currently not just at a greater risk of catching and spreading Covid-19 but having to self-isolate and thus miss matches or training if they are deemed close contacts of a positive case.

With clubs now fearing a decimated fixture schedule, there is rising frustration at the vaccination numbers, especially compared to other sports leagues such as the NFL in America or Spain’s La Liga where rates are well over 90%.

Dr Nikki Kanani, the director of primary care for the National Health Service, has appealed to role models like footballers to get vaccinated. 

The Telegraph also revealed how employment lawyers believe that clubs could now “reasonably” mandate vaccination among players and also enforce stricter protocols for those unvaccinated on the grounds of health and safety. It is understood that EFL teams have been actively exploring their legal position, although no club has yet taken a more hardline stance.

“The EFL continues to strongly encourage players and staff at clubs to get fully vaccinated and obtain a booster jab if eligible to do so,” said Dr Richard Higgins, the EFL’s medical advisor.

“We know that getting double jabbed and boosted now will reduce the risk of getting seriously ill or dying from Covid-19, reduce the risk of catching or spreading Covid-19 amongst team-mates and loved ones, while helping protect against Covid-19 variants including Omicron.”