Pep Guardiola will be required to quarantine upon his return to the UK after travelling to Barcelona, casting doubt over whether he can lead the start of Manchester City’s pre-season.
A photograph of the City boss in Catalonia emerged on social media overnight which, according to UK government guidelines, means Guardiola will have to self-isolate for 14 days when he lands back in Manchester.
Even if Guardiola returned to the UK today he couldn't, under Government rules, report to City’s training complex until September 11 at the earliest.
The bulk of City’s first-team players are not due to return to pre-season training until the week after next due to their involvement in forthcoming international matches.