Isaac Hayden admits he ‘underestimated’ coronavirus after Newcastle ace was left bedridden for ten days

NEWCASTLE midfielder Isaac Hayden has admitted that he ‘underestimated’ coronavirus.

The Magpies saw their match against Aston Villa postponed earlier this month, following a mass outbreak at the club.

Their Darsley Park training facility was shut for more than a week, with Hayden one of the players to have tested positive for Covid-19.

Some athletes that have tested positive have been asymptomatic.

But manager Steve Bruce revealed that Hayden, 25, had been ‘knocked to hell’ by the virus.

And the man himself told : “It took me by surprise, to be honest, how badly it affected me.

“I definitely underestimated it.

“I was thinking, ‘I’m a young and healthy athlete, if I have it I’d be asymptomatic and I’d be fine’.

“But it was tough; I was in bed for seven to ten days, doing very little and having pretty much every symptom going. It was very difficult.

“But once I got over the worst of it, the 11th and 12th day I started to do a bit [of training] outside and I built up from there.

“Now we’ve come into the busy period of games, which is difficult enough as it is, but thankfully I’m over that now and I can look to add to my fitness over the coming weeks and get strong for the second half of the season.”

The former Arsenal ace has since returned to the team, playing the full 90 minutes as Newcastle beat West Brom 2-1, before falling 5-2 to Leeds United.