Virgil van Dijk has admitted he fears being forced to lift Liverpool’s first Premier League crown in an empty stadium as a result of the ongoing restrictions imposed by the coronavirus crisis.

All top-flight matches have been postponed until at least next month and the Premier League is set to meet on Thursday to discuss potential next steps.

Liverpool are currently 25 points ahead of second-placed Manchester City in the table and van Dijk told several national newspapers: “If we won it in an empty stadium and the fans weren’t there, I’d be gutted for them. Obviously, if there are no fans at Anfield, then it will be a bit of a blow - no one wants to play games without the fans.

“Until a decision is made on how we go on from here, then we just have to deal with it. But when it happens, we are still bringing the title to our fans, definitely.”

Valencia defender Ezequiel Garay became the first La Liga player to announce that he has tested positive for coronavirus yesterday.

Garay revealed the news on his Instagram account, writing: “I’ve tested positive for the coronavirus, I feel great and now all that’s left is to listen to the health authorities. For the moment, I have to be isolated.”

Following Garay’s announcement, Valencia issued a statement confirming that five positive cases have been detected among members of the first team and club staff.

The Spanish club added that affected individuals are “all in their homes in good health, and under isolation measures”.

Spain is set to step up its bid to combat the spread of the virus by putting the entire country in lockdown from Monday. All La Liga matches have already been suspended for at least two weeks.

The sporting programme was once again decimated on Sunday, although among the events that still went ahead were the Super League match between Castleford and St Helens, the Olympic boxing qualifiers in London, and snooker’s Gibraltar Open, which is continuing behind closed doors.

The coronavirus outbreak continues to affect the Formula One calendar, with the Dutch Grand Prix, scheduled for May, due to be the next one to be postponed, the PA news agency understands.

In addition, Ferrari announced a cessation of production at their Maranello and Modena factories until at least March 27.

Leeds Rhinos said they would conduct all media previews ahead of Friday’s scheduled Super League match against St Helens by phone. The Rhinos postponed their trip to Catalans Dragons after one of their players showed symptoms of the virus. The player later tested negative.