'For people to neglect that is pure stupidity' - Leeds United skipper Liam Cooper's stark coronavirus warning

The Whites skipper and his team-mates are currently working from home after the club took the decision to send them away from the Thorp Arch training ground.

Players had bikes and gym equipment delivered to their homes and, although they’ve been permitted to go out running, they’ve been running alone.

Cooper admits it has not been an easy adjustment, downing tools at Thorp Arch and swapping the training ground for the living room or garden, but there are more important priorities at present, chiefly society’s vulnerable.

“Working from home is difficult but it’s got to be done,” he said.

“The current situation is that we’ve got to self isolate, we’ve got to listen to the experts, we’ve got to do it.

“It’s not just for ourselves, as a country we’ve got to really listen and not be selfish.

“Whether or not we as individuals you can deal with the virus it’s not about us, it’s about the vulnerable, people with underlying health problems, with asthma.

“Those are the people we’ve really got to look out for.

“We’ve got to listen. That’s the way it’s got to be. We have to sacrifice going out and doing what we normally would.

“When these people get infected, with underlying issues it can be fatal. That’s the harsh reality of what’s going on. For people to neglect that is pure stupidity.”

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Football’s response to the coronavirus has included some magnanimous gestures.

Leeds United players made a ‘sizeable’ donation to enable the Leeds Fans Foodbank to continue to operate.

Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville announced that staff at his Hotel Football and Stock Exchange hotels would continue to receive full pay and made the properties available to NHS workers, free of charge.

Crystal Palace winger and property portfolio owner Wilfred Zaha has also made 50 of his London properties free to accommodate health workers.

There are other ways in which footballers can help during the pandemic, which has killed well over 200 in the UK so far.

On Sunday, Leeds star Stuart Dallas posted a video on his Twitter account encouraging young people to stop going out and congregating.

Despite government warnings over social distancing, footage of full parks and playgrounds continued to appear on social media over the weekend and seaside resorts had an influx of visitors.

Cooper says football has given players an opportunity to spread important messages, which could save someone’s life.

“At times like this it’s a time not just for the football community but all walks of life to come together,” he said.

“As footballers we’re in a very fortunate position and we can give back and help others.

“We also have the platform to get the word out there. I’ve seen a lot of stuff on social media from footballers with a lot of followers who can spread the word of the NHS.

“I know Stuart made a very powerful message on Twitter. That’s what we need to get the awareness out there, to show people how important this is.

“The NHS is saying we’re coming to a critical part of the virus now and it is ultimately, for some people, a matter of life and death. That’s the seriousness of it.

“As footballers, the platform allows us to get awareness out there and, hopefully, have an impact on someone. If it saves one life it’s worth every bit of exposure it gets.”