Sunderland send message to Cotterill as he recovers from Covid-19

Lee Johnson says everyone at Sunderland is thinking of Steve Cotterill as he continues his recovery from Covid-19.

The former Sunderland assistant manager is improving in hospital after a spell in intensive care over the weekend.

Cotterill's Shrewsbury Town are due to visit the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon.

"Everyone at Sunderland just wants to wish him well," said Johnson, who succeeded Cotterill at Bristol City.

"We'd seen that he's been in intensive care and we're glad to hear that he's doing better.

"We're hoping that we see him on Saturday and if not, we hope that he has a full and swift recovery.

"That's the most important thing."

Saturday's game could yet be postponed, if Shrewsbury beat Southampton in the FA Cup third round last night.

The fourth round ties are due to be played this weekend.

Cotterill will watch the game from his hospital bed, coach Aaron Wibraham confirmed.

"It's such a strange atmosphere without him, he's the energy around the place, everyone who knows him knows he's a ball of energy bouncing around," he told the Shropshire Star.

"We've definitely missed him.

"But he has been really poorly with it for the last two weeks.

"He was actually in intensive care over the weekend, he's had a really bad case of Covid.

"It got quite worrying at some points. We've all been wishing him well.

"I know him as a man and person and I know if anyone was going to take a bad case of Covid out of all of us he'd be the one stood at the front taking it for the team, players and staff.

"That sums him up as a person.

"It's been quite worrying. I've spoken with him in the last couple of days and I can tell he's getting better, his voice is getting better, he's starting to crack a couple of jokes, telling me to tell the boys he'll be watching from his hospital bed so they better be at it!"

Johnson added: “We'll just prepare for [Saturday’s] game as normal.

“Things are always uncertain at the moment and so all you can do is keeping making the right decisions, even if they have to be late ones.”