In an interview with Bleacher Report, Inter striker Romelu Lukaku has spoken on how different things are in Milan at the moment due to the global Coronavirus pandemic.

“Milan is silent at the moment, there is nobody around. It is very different than when I arrived. At the time there were a lot of people on the street, the restaurants were full, even the area where I live was full of people outside,” he began the interview.

“Now there is none of this. Now I’m in self-isolation because after we played against Juventus, one of the players tested positive for Coronavirus. When I look out onto the balcony, I see a completely different view.

“We have to take our temperature every day but nobody in the team has shown symptoms related to this virus.”

He then went on to discuss how he feels and was asked if he is at all scared by the situation.

“I wouldn’t say I’m scared but it is like living in a bubble, you try to understand what is happening and at the same time you know you are in the most affected country in Europe and that’s why you don’t see what’s going on, in some cities you only hear ambulance sirens going back and forth.

“I already knew it was only a matter of time before any player contracted the disease. Unfortunately it happened, now see how the list is filling up. It’s difficult because you miss the sport you love, but overall health is much more important than football right now.”

The Belgian national team forward then went on to discuss what he is doing to keep himself busy whilst in quarantine and has tipped himself to be in top condition by the time players are allowed to resume training.

“After I wake up, I do bicycle training. Then I use a device called Tecar which helps my muscles, in particular damaged tissues after every sport.

“It is also useful for heating and recovery. Then I also have my hyperbaric chamber, I saw that Lebron James had one and therefore I wanted one as soon as possible.

“When we played regularly, instead of going to bed after every game, I had a session here. Since we play football at high tempo, pressing hard, there is a need to recover quickly.

“You have to eat right and drink lots of water, so that, when you return to competitive activity, the first 4-5 days will be crucial for me but I think I’ll be in top form.”

He added: “The first thing for me is to ensure general health. If we have to play in conditions that do not guarantee health, why should we play? We still run the risk of having sick players.”

Lukaku then discussed how his family are in the midst of this crisis situation.

“They are all in Brussels except for me. My mum went away as the epidemic started to spread. I called all the people I know in Belgium, telling them I needed a plane for her. I called at noon, she left at four in the afternoon.”

He was then asked how his Inter teammates are and revealed that the players are keeping each other’s spirits high by sending funny videos to one another.

“I spoke to some of my teammates yesterday, those who live in the building opposite mine. They are worried because we miss being able to be together, we are a team with excellent chemistry and all this makes things a little difficult.

“We are always in touch with one another, we have a chat on WhatsApp where we talk every day. The boys send funny videos. Some of us are in a lucky position, and I think that when all this is over, we will realise that we must take care of what we have.”

In conclusion the 26-year-old was asked if he is using this time in self-isolation to do anything in particular to which he responded: “I have used this time to reflect and understand what I can do best for my family. Since I was a child, my family has always been the main thing.”