Football: Ramsdale's positive test for COVID-19 'shook' Bournemouth, says Howe

REUTERS: Bournemouth goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale's positive test for COVID-19 after his return to training has left everyone at the Premier League club shaken and anxious about their own test results, manager Eddie Howe has said.

Ramsdale, who resumed non-contact training last week, confirmed he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the second round of testing, three days after returning a negative result in a first batch of tests.

"There was not one positive within our group during the early stages and we were comfortable and felt OK," 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. Then the unknown comes into play, that shook us.

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

Clubs began training in small groups with social distancing protocols last week and will vote later on Wednesday on whether to move to the second phase of "Project Restart", which would allow players to resume close-contact training.

Howe said the current restrictions on training session times also posed a problem for players used to high-intensity training.

"Fifteen minutes is really difficult for them to feel fully prepared because players spend a lot of time getting themselves ready physically for the demands of training," Howe said.

"The most difficult part is the social distancing, where I'm not allowed to get close to the players."