Carlo Ancelotti fears that the UK still has not grasped the severity of the coronavirus crisis.

The Premier League and Football League were suspended until 4  April on Friday after high-profile figures within the game tested positive for Covid-19.

However, Liverpool played Atletico Madrid in front of a bumper Anfield crowd just two days before that announcement.

The UK has reported 1,140 cases of coronavirus, with 21 deaths recorded as of the morning of 15 March.

And the Everton boss believes the British authorities are still not taking the situation seriously enough.

‘We’re not really self-isolating at all, but some prevention measures did come in after a player had a fever, but his temperature has dropped now and that’s the most important thing,’ Ancelotti told Gazzetta dello Sport.

‘The Premier League did stop eventually, and it’s about time. It was the right decision faced with the scenario. We couldn’t continue. Health is the most important thing for everyone: teams, fans, media, everyone who works in football.

‘In theory, we should get back to work on March 22, but if the general situation worsens, how can we even think of that? If the coronavirus is still spreading rapidly, football cannot resume.

‘To be perfectly honest, I am not interested. Football counts for zero right now and it almost annoys me to be talking about it, faced with the tragedy that is unfolding in front of our eyes. This is a pandemic, a situation none of us had experienced before now.’

He continued: ‘Italy were forced to understand that it was time to stop being superficial, they had to respect the orders and stay home, to respect themselves and others during this war.

‘I have followed the British Prime Minister’s press conference on television. It seems to me that they have not yet realised the gravity of the situation up here. Life continues to flow with a certain regularity.’