Manchester United managers of the men’s and women’s senior team, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Casey Stoney respectively, have shared a special message for their fans during the worldwide crisis caused by the novel coronavirus.

Taking to the official Twitter handle of Manchester United, Solskjaer and Stoney issued a joint statement where they expressed their gratitude to all the health workers in the UK and across the globe and asked people to adopt a new way of life without football for some time.

“Firstly, on behalf of everyone at Manchester United, our thoughts are with anyone who has been directly affected by this virus and everyone dealing with the impact of it. All our gratitude goes to the healthcare staff working on the frontline of the NHS here in the UK and in hospitals around the world at this particularly difficult time,” the statement said.

“We are all having to adjust – fans, players, coaches – to a new way of living, without our fix of football, although we all agree that everyone’s health and wellbeing at this our fix of football, although we all agree that everyone’s health and wellbeing at this all come together to combat this global pandemic,” the statement added.

Solskjaer and Stoney further appealed to all their fans to adhere to the guidelines set by the medical authorities to combat the COVID-19 pandemic which has already killed over 18,900 people and affected more than 4,22,800 people worldwide.

“It is important for everyone to follow government guidelines to help control the spread of COVID-19, wherever you are in the world. That’s what we’re doing at Manchester United, with all our players now training at
home, following individual programmes and using technology to stay in touch with our medical, fitness and coaching staff. For everyone’s wellbeing, we all need to change our behaviour and look at new ways of communicating,” they said.

The ongoing health crisis has forced all the major football leagues and tournaments across the globe into a standstill. The top five European leagues, including the English Premier League, have been postponed until further notice in the middle of the season. The UEFA Champions League and Europa League have also suffered a similar fate.