Health chief Jason Leitch has told how footballers will receive no special treatment over coronavirus rules as he addressed Celtic's complaints over Ryan Christie.

The Hoops were disappointed to lose Christie after he was in 'close contact' with Stuart Armstrong on Scotland duty who tested positive for Covid-19. Despite Christie returning a negative test, the playmaker was still forced to self-isolate for 14 days which will see him miss the first Rangers derby of the season.

This sparked frustration from the Glasgow giants and the player himself, who both released statements insisting the midfielder 'did nothing wrong' and adhered to protocols. But Professor Leitch has confirmed that neither he nor the Scottish government can intervene in the process and that footballers will be treated the same as any other worker in the country.

Speaking on Clyde One he said: "The local health protection team in Lothian treats footballers the same way it treats workers in a call centre, or you in your media job or me.

"We phone up the positive case. We ask the positive case their history, where they've been for two days prior to their symptoms beginning. That's sometimes very straight-forward. Sometimes particularly in football it's slightly more complex, and then they make a judgement about who they have been in close contact with."

"The health protection team in Lothian have decided who the contacts are, and those contacts have been asked to self-isolate.

"I cannot intervene or second guess what that process is. It's exactly how the process should work, and footballers are not treated differently in that bit of the process than any other members of our society."

Christie joins Odsonne Edouard on the unavailable list for the October 17 clash after the Frenchman tested positive for the virus while away on international duty with France. Arsenal's Kieran Tierney will also have to self-isolate and will miss the Gunners' clash with Manchester City - as well as Scotland's Nations League play-off matches.