News that Liverpool great Kenny Dalglish had tested positive for COVID-19 came as a huge shock to the club’s players and staff, manager Juergen Klopp has said.
Dalglish, 69, tested positive for the coronavirus last week after being admitted to hospital for an infection. He required intravenous antibiotics but was asymptomatic and returned home over the weekend.
“It was a real shock three days ago when I heard about it first. The boys were sent a message in our WhatsApp group and everybody was like, ‘wow’,” Klopp told Liverpool’s website.
“What you feel in that moment is a massive difference if you know somebody who got the virus, or if you don’t know.
“We all know this terrible disease is causing heartache all over the world, but this was the first time for many of us someone we have such a personal connection to was affected to this extent.”
The Premier League has been suspended indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the UK on lockdown to curb the spread of the virus. Liverpool held a 25-point lead at the top of the table when the season was halted.
Klopp has been putting his players through their paces in online training sessions and said the social aspect of the link-up, including birthday singalongs, was helping the squad deal with being stuck in isolation.
“When we have these training sessions, I could have never imagined I would enjoy it that much,” he added. “The boys are all in good spirits.
“When we start at 10, the chat is open from 9.30 on and pretty much everybody is already in … That’s the best thing of having this situation in 2020 – we have this technical opportunity.
“Imagine if we would have had it in the ’80s or something like that, it would have been really crazy. Not because of football, because of all the social contact and interaction we can have and use in the moment. That makes a big difference.”
REUTERS