Guardiola in regular contact with playing staff during crisis
Pep Guardiola is in regular contact with his players to ensure they are maintaining focus and fitness, insiders at the Etihad have stated.
The Manchester City squad have already been in lockdown for over a fortnight during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with no visitors allowed at the club’s Etihad training campus.
Players including Raheem Sterling, Sergio Ageuro and Kevin De Bruyne have all been handed personal fitness programmes by Guardiola’s conditioning staff.
The City boss is understandably concerned how much fitness levels will be impacted by the footballing shutdown, with soccer chiefs still intent on concluding the current campaign when it is considered safe enough to do so.
It’s understood Guardiola, always the man for the small details, has been going out of his way to check on the welfare of all his staff.
He has been contacting players on a daily basis to ask after them and how their own families are managing in the current crisis – in addition to how they are keeping fit.
Some team members live in the city centre and do not have access to a garden space, so Guardiola and his staff are doing all they can to raise spirits.
The Catalan donated £1m earlier this week to the Angel Soler Daniel Foundation and Medical College of Barcelona, for the acquisition and supply of health equipment during the Covid-19 crisis.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has made a donation of €1m to help fight coronavirus in Spain.
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 24, 2020
And City left-back Aleksandr Zinchenko has also praised the lengths the Citizens are going to in a bid to keep everyone fit and safe.
The Ukraine international said: “Manchester City take care of all their players and staff. When I wake up there is a message from the doctor: how do I feel, how are my family and friends?
“They bring me food six days a week and equipment to keep me fit.”
