VICE-CAPTAIN Oriol Romeu stated he was proud of the way Saints have handled COVID measures, with the Hampshire club one of very few Premier League clubs yet to ask the league for a game to be postponed this season.

So far, only Manchester City, Chelsea, West Ham and Saints have not requested games to be postponed.

At their training base Staplewood, Saints have taken extra measures, with players getting changed and eating packed lunches in their cars on top of standard restrictions.

Speaking about how the side had dealt with restrictions, Romeu stated: “I think we have done well.

“We’ve had some cases but it hasn’t really grown within the team, and that is a good sign that we’re keeping the restrictions right and we’re doing everything we can do to have a low level of cases.

“That’s allowed us to always be available to play matches, that’s what we can control.

“I’m quite proud of the way we’ve managed everything, because it isn’t easy.

“We’ve had some periods where every club was having issues, and we’ve done alright to always be available.”

Romeu’s manager has been vocal in the past about clubs requesting postponements, with the Saints boss stating that: "The pandemic isn't a decisive factor at the moment.

“This situation cannot go on like this."

The Premier League itself has now come underfire for allowing the situation to snowball, with Prem chiefs reportedly holding talks regarding another rule change for postponements.

Any changes will come into place ahead of the round of fixtures starting February 8.