Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has opened up on the mental support he has been giving his players during isolation.
The Spaniard has now fully recovered from coronavirus after his diagnosis became the catalyst for the suspension of professional football in England.
Players are having to keep themselves fit at home while they are unable to train but the Gunners' boss also said the club are helping them with the mental challenges of life without sport.
They have equipment, they have all the necessary tools and guidance to keep themselves in the best possible shape,' he told BT Sport.
'But as well I was worried about the mental side and about this connection with football.
'I've been trying to give them work, I've been trying to get to know them better as well.
'I think this is a good possibility when everybody is a little bit more hurt and more open about what's going on. To get into them a little bit, to understand how their families are, what they're doing to take care of them and their relatives. How they feel at the club, how they feel with the team-mates.
'I want them to feel close to me, they can trust me, they can tell me their feelings.
'We have a lot of people that live on their own, people that have families away. They need to feel protected in a different country. We've been trying to do that, not just myself but the staff or the senior people at the club.'
Arteta also said he had spoken to his former colleague Pep Guardiola after the Manchester City manager lost his mother to Covid-19 earlier this week.
"I'm feeling good, I'm fully recovered!"
Mikel Arteta discusses his recovery, keeping his Arsenal squad sharp, and his worries the inspiration of Johan Cruyff.#EarlyKickOff
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'I spoke with him and they were really affected, they were very close to his parents and obviously the consequence of losing one of the parents is you worry about the other one.
'All the family they are really united, they are a lovely family.'
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