London, Dec 22 (IANS): Manchester United players have started training at their central training facility of Carrington on a staggered basis, the club said in a statement on Tuesday. The complex was forced to close for first-team operations last week due to a Covid-19 outbreak in the team but opened again on Tuesday.

This will now give interim manager Ralf Rangnick and his squad time to prepare for their next fixture -- the Premier League meeting with Newcastle United on December 27. United are also scheduled to face Burnley on December 30 at Old Trafford in their final outing of 2021.

United were forced to close the first-team section of their Carrington training ground last week in a bid to limit the outbreak. However, their base re-opened on Tuesday morning and first-team players have begun returning to training on a staggered basis.

Unfortunately, the games against Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion were postponed as the club had no option but to request that the matches were rearranged. The Premier League board took the decision to call the fixtures off, based on guidance from medical advisors.

On Monday, the Premier League issued a statement declaring the intention to continue with the festive programme, where possible, despite the impact of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.