Gareth Southgate secretly battled coronavirus after testing positive last month and isolating for ten days in run-up to latest international matches
- Gareth Southgate tested positive for Covid-19 and had to isolate last month
- The England manager has shown no signs of any lingering effects from the virus
- He was out of quarantine by the time media duties started two weeks ago
Gareth Southgate was suffering from coronavirus in the run up to this international week but clear of the infection by the time the England squad met up.
The England manager tested positive for the virus last month after developing symptoms, meaning he had to isolate at his North Yorkshire home for ten days.
However, he tested negative and was out of quarantine by the time official media duties started for the current round of international fixtures almost two weeks ago.
Gareth Southgate had to isolate last month at home after he tested positive for Covid-19
Southgate tested negative and was out of quarantine before his media duties two-weeks ago
Southgate, who side takes on Belgium tomorrow in the in the UEFA Nations League, has made no public comment about contracting the illness and has shown no obvious signs of any lingering effects as he has conducted media duties in the past week.
Southgate, like many high-profile football figures, has played a significant role in the national lockdowns by re-iterating messaging on the need to abide by regulations.
He has remained wholly focused on the international games this week and yesterday spoke about the clash today against the world No.1 team, which England need to win to bolster their chances of qualifying for the UEFA Nations League.
Southgate has shown no lingering effects of the virus in the current round of fixtures
Southgate said: ‘In terms of the Nations league, we have to beat Belgium. We know they’ve lost two games in 28 , they are fantastic team and proven over a long time. But our aim is to be the best in the world and we have to hunt these teams down.
‘We were able to do it at Wembley last month [where England won 2-1]. We saw what a tough side they are there. We had two be our very best with or without the ball to get that result.
‘It’s the same tomorrow but we are not fearful. We go there with a very positive mindset and we know we can hurt teams. We have players who can score goals and we know we’ve conceded two in our last nine games.
‘We’re an improving team. We’re going to get better over the next few years The future is so exciting but we’ve got to be progressing now and getting results.