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Leicester's Rodgers reveals COVID-19 battle: 'I could hardly walk'

Plumb Images / Leicester City FC / Getty

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Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers likened his coronavirus symptoms to the grind of a grueling mountain expedition after revealing he contracted the disease in March.

Rodgers, 47, is only the second known Premier League boss to test positive for COVID-19 after Arsenal's Mikel Arteta, whose diagnosis on March 12 accelerated the suspension of England's 2019-20 campaign.

"I could hardly walk and it reminded me of walking up Mount Kilimanjaro (in 2011)," Rodgers told BBC Radio Leicester.

"We had a week off when we were supposed to play Watford (March 14) and then the week after that, I started to struggle.

"For three weeks I had no smell or taste. I had no strength, and a week after, my wife was the same. We were tested and both of us were detected with the virus."

The Premier League confirmed June 17 as its provisional restart date on Thursday, a day after clubs unanimously agreed to resume contact training. The Foxes are currently positioned in third place, with their remaining nine fixtures featuring matches against Arsenal, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur.

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