Former Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal reveals coronavirus fears for family

The 54-year-old, who is coach of Rio Ave in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, says his children are at high risk of contracting Covid-19 because they are diabetic.

It means Carvalhal, Wednesday’s manager between 2015 and 2017, is now living in separate accommodation to protect his family from the killer disease which has become a global pandemic.

“I have two persons in my home that are at high risk – my kids are diabetics. They are young,” said the former Owls boss, speaking to talkSPORT’s White & Sawyer Show.

“So we decided that my wife and my kids stay at home. I go to supermarkets, to the pharmacy for things that they need.

“I live in another apartment. When I’m back home I go around and have lunch with them but have it outside of the house. I don’t have contact.

“I leave the medicines and leave the food and I spend some time with them talking but from around four or five metres.

“Then at night or at the end of the day, I am back again to the apartment. This is the reality.”

Carvalhal, who guided Rio Ave to sixth place before football was suspended in Portugal, says his club has effectively shutdown because of the coronavirus outbreak and the only contact he has with his players is via WhatsApp.

“This is more important than football that we are talking about,” he said “So we’ve created strategies with the players and the nutritionists give explanations via WhatsApp.

“We have a WhatsApp group with the players. The nutritionists give some instructions to the players about food and what they can eat and what they can’t eat.

“Also we made individual programmes for all the players. All the players are at home and must exercise, some of them must do it inside. But it’s good that most of the players can be outside the house to exercise.”