An Arsenal footballer had tested positive for Covid-19 before the Gunners played their first match of the revamped Premier League season last week against Manchester City, according to a report from Goal. com. After the result, the player who has not been named, along with two other players who were in close proximity with him, were asked to undergo mandatory quarantine before the match.

The report further states that the three senior footballers, missed three training sessions. But the new testing that was done on Monday, showed the result as negative for all three, and they were allowed to rejoin the team for Arsenal's match on Wednesday.

The first game for Arsenal did not go their way as they suffered a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City. Defender David Luiz was handed a red card in the game, and, he took the blame of the defeat on him.

"It's my fault," he said, "The team did well, especially with 10 men. The coach is amazing, all the players are amazing, it was my fault." Luiz suggested he should have resolved his contractual situation by now but said his status was not a factor in his performance.

"I should have taken a different decision in the last two months but I didn't," he told Sky Sports.

Arsenal also suffered a 2-1 defeat against Brighton, a loss which has not gone down well with manager Mikel Arteta. Defeat left Arsenal in ninth spot in the table with 40 points from 30 games, six behind fifth-placed Manchester United.

"I am very frustrated," Arteta said. "It is unacceptable the way we lost the game. We like competing and I know we have a young squad but still, we threw the game away. We had to put it to bed earlier."