Chronicle Editor
ENGLAND boss Gareth Southgate has been secretly battling Covid.
The 50-year-old tested positive for the virus late last month after developing symptoms.
He was forced to self-isolate for ten days before further checks came back negative.
Concern was heightened due to his age but his fitness helped him fight off the deadly virus — with his England stars none the wiser.
One source said: “He’s a professional, he just got on with it. Fortunately he’s very fit for his age.”
Southgate tested positive around October 25, derailing his preparations for the current international matches.
He self-isolated at home in North Yorkshire, abandoning plans to attend Premier League games in person.
Like Prince William, who was diagnosed back in April with coronavirus, he kept the news quiet with only a handful of people knowing.
A subsequent test came back negative by November 5, enabling him to host a press conference on Zoom announcing his latest squad.
England staff and players are regularly tested and Southgate, capped 57 times before becoming boss in 2016, has had several negative checks since.
He works out and jogs daily — once dislocating his shoulder on a run ahead of the 2018 World Cup.
The same year he showed his stamina and fitness on Bear Grylls’ ITV wilderness survival show.
Grylls said: “The wild always rewards commitment and courage, and Gareth has both of these qualities in spades.”
Southgate showed no after-effects of the virus during Thursday’s win over Ireland at Wembley.
He was also in good spirits in yesterday’s press conference ahead of tonight’s Nations League clash in Belgium.
Southgate has been a staunch admirer of the NHS throughout the Covid pandemic.
In March he urged fans to stay at home to help our hospitals.
He said: “Life is very different for us all at the moment and sport rightfully stands aside to support a more important cause during these unprecedented times.’’
In May he agreed to a 30 percent cut in his £5 million salary to help the NHS.
Southgate also delighted two frontline workers by calling them personally to thank them.
Southgate said: “It’s important the nation gets behind those playing their part in helping to return society to a sense of normality.”
Last month, his preparations for the Wales game were thrown into chaos after Three Lions stars Tammy Abraham, Ben Chilwell and Jadon Sancho breached Covid rules.
They attended a party with dozens of other guests, forcing furious Southgate to drop them.
He said rules were being broken across the nation, adding: “There is a lot of disharmony now. We are all in this situation together.’’
England will play Iceland at Wembley on Wednesday after the visitors got permission to fly from Denmark — where they play today. — Reuters
Online Reporter