PREMIER League managers will convene on Monday to discuss the Covid-19 crisis engulfing the competition, with Newcastle boss Eddie Howe saying the top flight’s integrity is on a knife edge.

As of this afternoon, five of this weekend’s 10 scheduled top-flight matches had already been postponed due to positive Covid-19 tests.

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard revealed that a meeting was being organised by the league for early next week to tackle the club bosses’ “concerns and unanswered questions,” in particular around the criteria used by the Premier League board to grant approval to a postponement.

Howe, installed as Newcastle manager last month after the club’s Saudi-led takeover, fears that if more games were called off in the coming days, there could be questions around the competition’s integrity.

“I don’t think we want half the games played and half not played,” he said.

“The league really loses something if it becomes disjointed in terms of games played. When you start losing players to Covid, then the worry is the competition becomes slightly unfair and I don’t think anyone wants to see that.

“A decision needs to be made to ensure integrity is maintained in the competition. I think it is on a knife edge.

“People want to see a fair league and not disparity in games and players missing.

“I’m desperate to continue the programme myself, but the welfare of the players and supporters has to come first.”

Howe’s side are due to face reigning champions Manchester City on tomorrow. City boss Pep Guardiola cancelled his pre-match press conference today after returning an inconclusive Covid test result, and was awaiting the result of a further test.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was not against calling a brief halt to the Premier League, but said: “I just don’t see 100 per cent the benefit of it.

“Stopping the league means we stop now for one to two weeks, it means [missing] five to six games. So when do you want to play them?”

His Villa counterpart Gerrard said that managers and top-flight captains would have the chance to discuss the criteria for postponement after a number of bosses called for clarity.

“On the back of what a lot of managers have said, we want the same thing, which is for the the game to continue,” he said, adding: “There are obviously a lot of concerns and a lot of unanswered questions.”

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, whose side were forced to play Brentford in their opening match of the season despite a request for postponement, echoed the call for clarity.

“We have been here on the other side of the table, where we had all the arguments in the world to not play a football match and we ended up playing it,” the Spaniard said.

The rules governing Covid-19 postponements were voted on by the clubs, including Arsenal, and are set out in the Premier League’s 2021-22 handbook.

Each decision is taken on a case-by-case basis, but clubs are advised that if 14 or more players are available, then permission will not be granted to postpone.