Former Italy captain and the national team's technical coach Daniele De Rossi has been hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19 during last month's World Cup qualifiers, Sky Italy reported on Friday.
The former AS Roma midfielder, who is fourth on Italy's all-time appearance list having played 117 times for the Azzurri, tested positive along with three other staff and several players in the national camp during the international break.
Sky reported De Rossi, 37, is under observation at the Roman Institute for Infectious Diseases as a precaution.
The players who tested positive are Federico Bernardeschi, Leonardo Bonucci, Alessio Cragno, Vincenzo Grifo, Alessandro Florenzi, Marco Verratti, Matteo Pessina and Salvatore Sirigu.
De Rossi, who ended his 18-year playing career in January 2020 after a short stint with Argentine side Boca Juniors, joined Italy coach Roberto Mancini's staff last month.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
