Atalanta star Josip Ilicic became depressed after he tested positive for Covid-19, team-mate Papu Gomez has revealed.
The city of Bergamo was hit hard by the spread of coronavirus earlier this year, with an average of 40 people dying each day at the height of the pandemic.
Ilicic missed the last seven games of the 2019-20 campaign, including the Champions League quarter-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, as he was allowed to return to Slovenia.
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Reports in Italy claimed the 32-year-old was not in the right frame of mind to feature for Gian Piero Gasperini's team and Gomez says he struggled after being diagnosed with Covid-19.