Howe: Cherries 'shook' by positive test

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe says his club has been shaken after goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) amid the Premier League's attempt to restart the season.

"There was not one positive within our group during the early stages and we were comfortable and felt okay," Howe told The Daily Mail. "But as soon as you get that one positive test, that changes the mindset of everybody. Suddenly everyone feels vulnerable, everyone is alerted to the fact that this is serious and real."

The Cherries are one of a number of teams with players and staff who have tested positive for the novel virus that halted play on March 13.

The Premier League has taken incremental steps to return during its Project Restart and on Wednesday announced that players could begin contact training.

Howe, now in the eighth season of his second stint with the club, says his team is nervously awaiting further testing.

"We are now waiting for our next testing times to see if anyone else was in contact with the player," the42-year-old Howe said. "I imagine anxiety is there among the players. I can only imagine they are feeling the same way as I am."

When the Premier League returns, the Cherries will find themselves in a battle to stay up. With nine matches remaining, Bournemouth sits in 18th place and in the drop zone on goal difference, a single goal worse than Watford. Assuming that the schedule gets played out, Bournemouth still has a string of tough dates to come with the likes of Leicester, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Manchester United and Wolves.

While Howe is prepared for the struggle to stay up, he believes playing behind closed doors could have a big effect on what's to come.

"Usually you can feel the energy, you can feel what is at stake," Howe said. "The players know it and in some respects that really does impact their performances positively or negatively. Now we've got that tension and drama taken out. The importance of the game is still there but one of the biggest factors — that feeling — is gone. It remains to be seen how it actually feels when you're in the middle of it. An atmosphere helps to improve performance, without a shadow of a doubt. A crowd can impact a game, I've known that since I was playing."

Bournemouth's fight to ensure a fifth straight season in the top flight is scheduled to restart with a date against Crystal Palace.