Three months without football has felt like an eternity
EVERTON STAR MICHAEL KEANE ON LOCKDOWN, GETTING KO’D BY COVID… AND PROJECT RESTART
I’M NOT sure I’ve ever gone this long without knowing when I will play again.
It has seemed like a lifetime and I can’t wait to get back to playing for Everton.
I had the virus myself early on. I got it before the country went into lockdown. I went to play golf at Wentworth and felt ill driving home.
I was in the shower and all of a sudden I felt like I was going to faint. I came out and just needed to lie down.
I woke up the next day and I felt really off. I didn’t have a cough but felt lethargic and had the sweats for two nights.
I went for a run but had to stop after three and a half minutes because my chest wasn’t right. I had to stop and walk home.
I knew at that point something was wrong. I told the physios and they sent me a test. It arrived six days later, by which time I felt better, but it still came up positive. Even when I felt better, it took two weeks for my chest to feel back to normal when I was running.
When it became obvious that we wouldn’t be going into training for a while, I turned my garage into a gym.
I’ve got a peloton bike in there, treadmill, weights and flooring and mirrors. I knew I had to put the work in. Everyone’s done it.
I got back in touch with my old youth team coach, Paul McGuinness, at Manchester United. He works for the FA now and we looked at clips and talked about my footwork, how I can turn quicker and going through drills to improve that.
The club have been really supportive. They sent cleaners out to all the lads’ houses.They also gave us the option to take a deferral. I think everyone appreciates that clubs are going through a difficult time.
You could choose what percentage and some of the lads have deferred a lot.
It was unnecessary what [Health Secretary] Matt Hancock said about footballers – 99 per cent of us would have helped without that public pressure. Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines were in touch with the board and the PFA, and as soon as anything came up they would send a message into the WhatsApp group and we would set up a Zoom call the next day.
I’ve been impressed with the way it’s been handled and the protocols make you feel safe.
Players rightly had concerns about going back. They gave us the test I had but it’s different when someone else does it – more uncomfortable.
You have three check points. You stay in your car the whole time.The guy comes out with a full mask on and it’s like a long cotton bud which goes down your throat. It can make you gag.They put it up your nose and twist it. It brings tears to your eyes!
It takes five minutes, it’s a really good process and it seems to be working.
Going back to training, we have to park three spaces from each other. There’s about five stewards telling you where to park, the doctor is there, ready to take your temperature.
The only indoor part of the training ground which is open is an indoor pitch.We have our own water bottles, we have to sanitise everything – foam rollers, the bike, the handlebars, the seat.
Every player has his own stretching mat with their name on it. The physio wears gloves if you need treatment and you have to wear a mask to get strappings.
They spray everything, they sanitise the grass and the balls; if you wear a bib then you have to throw it away afterwards.
They are strict on spitting. It’s not a nice habit but a hard one to stop.When you play, it’s hot and you’re running. It’s clearing your airways and you do it naturally.
We got three sets of training kit.You don’t shower there, you turn up in kit and you have to wash it when you get home.
The first five minutes of contact training felt a bit weird because I hadn’t done it for so long.
I’ve not noticed anyone being cautious in training. You can go into tackles because you know everything is safe.
Everyone is itching to get back now to play competitively. Going into a game is a different feeling and you miss it when you don’t have it.
I’ve not seen anyone being cautious in training