Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed the impact that club legend Sir Kenny Dalglish being diagnosed with coronavirus had on him and his players.
Dalglish tested positive for the disease last week, having gone into hospital on Wednesday for treatment on an unrelated health issue.
Having been asymptomatic, the 69-year-old was discharged on Sunday and is now self-isolating at home.
Klopp said his squad found out the news initially via Whatsapp and were ‘shocked’, with many experiencing a ‘personal connection’ to the pandemic for the first time.
“It was a real shock three days ago when I heard about it first,” he told the club website. “The boys were sent a message in our WhatsApp group and everybody was like, ‘Wow’.
“What you feel in that moment is a massive difference if you know somebody who got the virus, or if you don’t know.
“In this moment, it was like, ‘Wow, one of us has it’ and it was really crazy.
“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 German also said he had been in contact with Dalglish’s family, who have thanked fans for their “truly humbling” support over the weekend.
“I had the opportunity to text immediately with one of his daughters and we spoke about it,” Klopp added. “She was quite, not relaxed, but she was fine and said it looked all well – and two days later we heard he was released from hospital.
“It’s good news – very good news – and I hope he is doing well still.
“We all know Kenny and we love him. We just sent him all our thoughts and prayers in that moment, but maybe he didn’t need it, which is even better.”
