Middlesbrough midfielder Adam Clayton's tale of family hope amid Covid-19 crisis

The former Leeds United and Huddersfield Town midfielder has seen his family be affected by the coronavirus pandemic, with his father Steve spending 51 days in intensive care with Covid-19.

He has successfully won his fight with the deadly virus, with a video of him leaving intensive care shown across social media.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Clayton said: "Ultimately I think it will end up with the players making the decision whether they feel right to do it or not.

"It's a real tough one. There's nobody who wants to be out on the pitch more than me - I've missed it like you wouldn't believe. It's what we have done since we were kids.

"I don't think the fear in football is the players contracting it ourselves, although it could still have damaging effects. It's more if I go to work and bring it back to my baby daughter or my dad, that's the worry I'd have."

At one point, Clayton's father, who had underlying health problems, had been told that he had a less than fifty per cent chance of surviving.

Clayton continued: "There were days where you thought you were going to get the worst news. Somehow he managed to stick in there and the doctors and nurses never gave up on him," he added.

"I couldn't go round and give my mum a cuddle and she's only got my younger brother in the house so she's just been alone thinking about it all day, every day.

"I've got a newborn, so that's made it better for me because I've constantly had to attend to her, but it's been murder for my mum.

"It's not a nice situation because you can't speak to them and you're just getting updates off the medical team and they can't bring you good news if it's not good news. It's really tough for the person whose loved one is in there."