Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno has admitted he and his teammates found themselves in a ‘very, very strange situation’ when coach Mikel Arteta contracted Coronavirus.
The Arsenal boss tested positive for COVID-19 on March 12, the first of anyone in the Premier League to be diagnosed.
His positive test forced the Premier League to ultimately decide to suspend the division until further notice, with Arsenal and several clubs who had been in contact with them forced into isolation.
It was a significant moment for the Premier League, with it having stubbornly refused to follow the rest of Europe in suspending until that point.
And Leno admits it was strange, for those around the club at the time.
“I think we at Arsenal had the longest quarantine time of them all,” he told SWR Sport.
“In the beginning, it was a very, very strange situation because of our trainer.
“We had won our (last) game, everyone hugged the coach, everyone touched him, and they also hugged in the cabin.
“Then you didn’t know: will you get it now in the two weeks or not?”
Leno, of course, is not the first German goalkeeper to stand between the sticks at Arsenal, following in the footsteps of the Jens Lehmann at the club.
The legendary goalkeeper made 200 appearances for the Gunners in five years at the club, winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Community Shield as well as being one of the famous Invincibles.
He is affectionately known as the ‘Mad German’ at the club, something that Leno says many expected from him when he arrived.
“The only sayings I always get (in England) are because of Jens Lehmann and that I am totally different,” he added.
“They always say they called him either “Mad Jens” or “F… German”.
“They expected something bad when they heard that a German goalkeeper was coming. But they said, luckily, it’s not that bad.”
