Norwich City defender Timm Klose admits football must take a back seat after the Canaries’ season was suspended due to the spread of coronavirus.

The experienced centre back was closing in on a return to action after a long-term knee injury but now the Swiss international, along with the rest of his Canaries’ team-mates, have been told to stay away from the training ground.

City’s squad were given individual training plans to follow on Saturday and are not expected to return to Colney before March 24.

They have also been warned about travel, with a number of countries around Europe opting to shut their borders to combat the global pandemic.

Klose, speaking on Swiss football talk show Heimspiel Spezial prior to the weekend, revealed he planned to stay in Norfolk with his wife for the duration.

“We will isolate ourselves for a week or two. Not completely, but we will certainly limit contact with other people,” he said. “Of course you worry about everything. The situation changed from, ‘you would like to play football’ to ‘now it is not so important’. It is important that you get the situation under control and that people get well.

“After knowing on Friday that the championship would be interrupted until April, we were told that we still had training on Saturday. But as of Sunday, we will no longer be allowed to go to the training grounds.

“Yes, when I see the situation, it would be great for the club from a purely sporting point of view if the season were broken off and you could stay in the league. But I have to say honestly,

“I’m not really worried about football at the moment. Sport is really no longer important.”