MILAN (REUTERS) - Juventus defender Daniele Rugani said he was fine on Thursday (March 12), shortly after his club said he had tested positive for coronavirus, the first player in Serie A to do so.
The Turin side are one of Europe's biggest clubs with a squad that includes five-time world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo, who is currently in his native Madeira.
"You've read the news, so I want to reassure everyone who's worried about me, I'm fine," the 25-year-old said on Twitter.
"I urge everyone to respect the rules, because this virus makes no distinction! Let's do it for ourselves, for our loved ones and for those around us."
The Italian, who is not a regular first-team player, has made seven appearances this season, including two in February against Brescia and Spal. He was on the bench for Sunday's game against Inter Milan.
A source close to Juventus said the entire squad will have to spend two weeks in quarantine, meaning they would not be able to face Lyon in the second leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie on March 17.
Juve had said in a statement on Wednesday: "The footballer, Daniele Rugani, has tested positive for Coronavirus-Covid-19 and is currently asymptomatic.
"Juventus Football Club is currently activating all the isolation procedures required by law, including those who have had contact with him."
Juventus had held a training session earlier on Wednesday. However, the club said Ronaldo did not take part as he had travelled to Portugal and would remain there "awaiting developments related to the current health emergency".
Inter, meanwhile, have suspended all competitive activities until further notice.
"The club is currently taking steps to put all the necessary procedures into place," Inter said.
The Italian government has banned all sporting events, including Serie A, until at least April 3, in a bid to contain Europe's worst outbreak. The most recent games were played on Sunday.
On Wednesday the death toll in Europe's worst-affected country jumped by 196 in 24 hours to 827. Confirmed cases across Italy rose to 12,462 from a previous 10,149.
Four players at third-tier Pianese had previously tested positive for the virus.
Rugani joined Juventus from Empoli in 2013 although he then returned to Empoli on loan. He has been at Juve since 2015. He played for Italy at youth levels and has won seven caps for the senior national side.
