Premier League sides can apply for a fixture postponement only if they have a minimum of four positive Covid-19 cases in their squads, the league said following a meeting of representatives of all 20 clubs.

A total of 22 games have been called off this season due to Covid-19 outbreaks and the subsequent unavailability of players, with the league being criticised by some clubs for their handling of the crisis, Reuters reports.

Earlier, a match could be postponed if one of the teams did not have 13 available outfield players — and one goalkeeper — “either from its squad list or its appropriately experienced under-21 players”.