Pedro opens up on struggles of being away from family due to coronavirus

Chelsea winger Pedro has opened up on living apart from his children during the coronavirus shutdown imposed by governments across Europe.

Pedro’s children are in his native Spain and the 32-year-old has been unable to travel back to his home country to link up with his family.

The winger has remained in the UK, meanwhile, with his children are getting to grips with life in lockdown in Europe.

“It’s hard not to be seeing your children, your parents, your siblings, not having them close by at a complicated, difficult time for us all,” Pedro told Chelsea’s official website.

“We are in permanent contact on the phone, keeping in touch about what we are up to in isolation and trying to be as close as possible.

“Of course, we would have liked to be there but for safety reasons that isn’t possible so for now we are going to stay where we are and try to get through it as best we can.”

The Premier League remains suspended until April 30, but that date could be extended as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to ravage the UK.

Chelsea‘s players are following club programmes to train at home while England deals with the government’s social distancing measures.

Pedro is helping the community effort in Spain through his own foundation, while the Blues’ senior squad has made a sizeable donation to the Chelsea Foundation to help those in need in west London.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has turned Stamford Bridge’s Millennium Hotel over for NHS staff, and is footing the bill.

While considering the different current social situations between England and Spain, Pedro also explained how he is keeping in regular contact with team-mates.

I’ve been on the phone to Kepa (Arrizabalaga) and Marcos Alonso. I’ve also called Jordi Alba from Barcelona. I’m in touch with other players too, to see how they are handling the situation, with players who are alone, which can sometimes be difficult.

“These are tough times and we are in constant contact. I’m also speaking a lot to Azpi (Cesar Azpilicueta) and we’re always following the news coming out from the club, the training that we have to do at home.”

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