The Aston Villa goalkeeper Pepe Reina has revealed he endured “endless minutes of fear” after contracting coronavirus symptoms that left him unable to breathe. The 37-year-old said he was on the mend after “the worst moments of my life”.

Reina, on loan at Villa from Napoli, told Corriere dello Sport: “It is only now that I am winning the battle against coronavirus.” He began to feel unwell nearly two weeks ago.

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“I was very tired after experiencing the first symptoms of the virus,” he said. “A fever, dry cough and a headache that never went away. It was just that constant feeling of tiredness.

“The most difficult moment was when I could no longer breathe, the 25 minutes I ran out of oxygen. It was the worst moments of my life.

“The only real fear I had was when I understood there was no oxygen: endless minutes of fear, as if suddenly my throat had closed. As a result I spent the first six or eight days indoors.”

He said staying at home, at least, was not a chore. “I don’t miss the company as it’s me, my wife Yolanda, five children and two in-laws. The house is big and loneliness has no access to my home.”

Last week, when he first announced he suspected he had caught the virus, he said: “We are very privileged people. We have a big house, with a garden. I think of the people who live in a 70 sq m apartment with two children and for me they are people who are showing a lot of strength.”

The Premier League has been suspended since 13 March and Reina has previously said it was “crazy” not to have stopped matches sooner.