0:39 Laporte admits he is missing football after four months out with injuries this season, with lockdown coming just before he was due to make a comeback
“We are waiting for news on what the experts say about that, and this is the most important thing. They are the best at doing this job, and they will try to make the best decision for everyone.
“I’m missing football a lot – I want to play and train, and I think it’s the first time in my life I have not played for this length of time. Hopefully, soon we’ll be back on the pitch and in the Champions League too.
Many footballers have revealed that having to isolate from their families many miles away in their own battle to contain the pandemic has been one of the hardest parts of the lockdown, and the 25-year-old is no different.
“It’s difficult not seeing my family, but I enjoy being here with those I am with during quarantine in Manchester – my girlfriend and my cat.
“I’ve lived on my own since I was 12 years old so being away from my home is usual for me. The most difficult part is not knowing when I will have the option of seeing my family again.”
Laporte hobbled off during his last appearance, City’s 2-1 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash at the Santiago Bernabeu, but the Frenchman has had time to recover from the minor setback.
“It was not a big injury, it was just something light. I needed one or two weeks to rest, so I would have been fine for the second leg. It wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. Everything – my hamstring, my knee – is now OK.
1:39 Sky Sports News’ chief reporter Bryan Swanson provides an update from the latest meeting of Premier League clubs, in which a commitment to attempting to end the 2019/20 season if it becomes safe to do so was reiterated
“When we return, I’ll be back in good physical condition. Of course, what we are doing is not the same sport.
“You need more than just running… you need the ball, the feel of the grass and the contact. I don’t have it at home, so hopefully, soon we’ll be back on the pitch.”
Laporte is keeping in touch with his team-mates via all the usual channels that come with being a modern-day professional footballer, via the PlayStation console with competitive games of Fortnite and FIFA and through Zoom calls.
Very little will change for the France centre-back between now and the end of this unprecedented period of confinement, but Laporte revealed he has been kept on his toes by Pep Guardiola, despite the manager’s period of bereavement following the passing of his mother.
“He’s in a different situation to many of us because he had a very bad moment. We let him alone with his family resting, and we respect him a lot. We kept the distance at that time.”
Laporte has shown his philanthropic side during the lockdown, raising money for French health workers fighting coronavirus by buying the 2012 Olympic outfit worn by late boxer Alexis Vastine at an auction, before returning it to his family.
Vastine died aged 28 in a helicopter crash in 2015, and his father donated the outfit to a charity auction organised by French handball player Cyril Dumoulin last month.
“I know the history because he was a top guy,” Laporte said. “He won in 2012 and he was adored in France. He was an amazing guy who had a difficult life.
“When I saw the auction, and his father doing it to raise money, I thought it was the right thing to do. It’s a good reminder of his son, so he had to keep it.
“It’s so important that we as footballers help those who are working for us to save lives. I’m happy that I’m fortunate to be in a position where I can do it.”
Sourse: skysports.com
