City hit with swine flu scare
442 Staff - Wednesday 09 December 2009, 12:50
Manchester City - buoyed by recent wins over Arsenal and Chelsea - have been hit by the news that a number of players and staff have been struck down with swine flu.
Welsh forward Craig Bellamy and highly-rated youngster Vladimir Weiss have emerged as the latest players to be affected by the virus, after defender Micah Richards contracted the H1N1 bug in August.
As a result, The Blues have ordered members of staff displaying symptoms to have swabs taken and are sending home anyone showing signs of having the virus in order to try and stop swine flu from spreading around the Eastlands outfit.
“It will be another two or three days before Craig [Bellamy] is out on the training ground, and looking to force his way into the team at the weekend," assistant Mark Bowen told the Daily Mail.
“We will have to monitor that, as we will with Weiss who missed the game on Saturday with swine flu as well.
“There is a little bit creeping into the camp, some of the staff have got it, [goalkeeper coach] Eddie Niedzwiecki has been feeling a little low as well.
“Coaching staff tend to get on with things, but with players it has to be a little more delicate at times.
“Players come in every day with sniffles, coughs and colds and the doctor has to determine whether it’s the onset of something more serious.
“It is his decision whether they have to be sent home.”
City - currently two points behind fourth placed Tottenham Hotspur with a game in hand - travel to Bolton Wanderers this weekend.