There was a growing mood of anger last night among clubs and players that the Premier League appeared likely to continue despite the coronavirus crisis being declared a pandemic.

Telegraph Sport revealed on Thursday that first-team players from one Premier League club were being tested after three displayed symptoms of Covid-19 and the rest were immediately sent home.

If the results come back positive on Friday then the club’s game on Saturday is certain to be called off, which could result in there being no choice but to also suspend the league.

At Leicester City, manager Brendan Rodgers insisted that the Premier League season should be halted, after three of his first-team players self-isolated having displayed symptoms, although they had not been tested as of last night.

Rodgers was convinced the game at Watford on Saturday was in doubt and said that the only logical action was to shut down the season. It is understood that some players were stunned that the Watford against Leicester game had not already been called off, complaining that their health and welfare was not being considered.

Chelsea cancelled first-team training as their Cobham training facilities underwent a deep clean to minimise risk. Meanwhile, Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy is self-isolating as a precaution after a member of his family was admitted to hospital displaying symptoms of coronavirus.

The Premier League is the only major European league insisting games should continue this weekend in front of fans. La Liga became the latest to postpone its competition after Real Madrid players were placed in quarantine, while Uefa is holding crisis talks next week to discuss the suspension of its tournaments, including Euro 2020.

The news from Madrid means that Real’s Champions League quarter-final at Manchester City has been called off. Due to a player at Juventus being isolated, their second leg at home to Lyon has also been postponed.

The Dutch Eredivisie, Portugal’s Primeira Liga and Major League Soccer in the United States all announced a suspension yesterday. In Italy, all sport, including Serie A, has already been suspended until April 3. In Germany and France, games are to be played behind closed doors.

There are no plans to postpone matches in Scotland, despite First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announcing that gatherings of more than 500 should be cancelled. The Football Association of Ireland has stopped all football “under its jurisdiction” until March 29. It comes as the World Health Organisation labelled the outbreak a pandemic. Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired a Cobra meeting, saying: “We are considering the question of banning major public events, including sporting fixtures.”

The Premier League insists that a suspension would run against government advice. The next stage, it is understood, would be to play games behind closed doors rather than suspend fixtures.

Government officials held meetings with sports governing bodies and broadcasters on Monday for “contingency planning”. However one senior Premier League club executive told The Telegraph that it was “now inevitable that the Premier League will be suspended” and added: “Why are we now waiting for the first case to be confirmed rather than taking a bigger view and being more proactive? We are not looking like the country that is in control of the situation.”