Fellaini departs hospital after COVID-19 recovery

Marouane Fellaini, former Everton and Manchester United player, has been discharged from a Chinese hospital after recovering from COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by coronavirus.

The 32-year-old Belgian star had tested positive for the novel virus on March 22.

Shandong Luneng, his Chinese Super League side, had swiftly placed him on isolation at Jinan hospital for treatment.

But on Tuesday, the lanky footballer took to his social media page to break news of his recovery and departure from the hospital.

Fellaini also thanked the hospital and club medical teams for the care, kindness and comfort, even as he urged everyone to “keep fighting”.

“The time has come for me to thank from the bottom of my heart, the medical staff of the hospital, their nursing staff as well as my club and its medical staff for taking such good care of me with so much kindness and for ensuring my comfort whilst there,” he wrote.

“The hardest part is behind me! Let’s keep fighting, it’s important!”

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The tally of coronavirus cases in China stands at 82,249 cases with 3,341 deaths, while 77,738 have recovered, according to the National Health Commission of China (NHC).

Quite a number of footballers have also tested positive for COVID-19, including the Juventus trio of Paulo Dybala, Blaise Matuidi and Daniel Rugani.

Chelsea’s Callum Hodson-Odoi and Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager, also recently recovered from the pulmonary disease.