Carlo Ancelotti admits he is missing football – but the global effort to quash the spread of coronavirus far outweighs any sporting concerns.

Italian Ancelotti was appointed Everton manager in December and has remained on Merseyside since the Premier League season was postponed three weeks ago.

The 60-year-old is following Government advice over staying at home during the pandemic “to the letter” – and utilising some of his additional time to study Everton matches.

Ancelotti’s homeland is the European country so far worst hit by coronavirus. There have been more than 115,000 confirmed cases and 14,000 people have died with the illness in Italy.

“Of course, I miss football. I like to train, I like to watch matches, this is normal,” said Ancelotti.

“However, football is not my priority right now… first there are lives to think about today.

“What matters is that the health of all people is assured.

“We should only think about that.

“It is for this reason that we must follow the advice of the Government to the letter and stay home. This is the priority. Only the Government can make the decisions.

“We are allowed to go out once a day but I try not to do it too much.

“I stay at home as much as possible, it is important.

“I follow the instructions of the Government. I also see what is happening in Italy and I don’t want to take any risk, either for myself or for those around me.”

Ancelotti has won five and drawn three of his 11 Premier League matches as Everton boss.

He is unbeaten in five games at Goodison Park and under the former AC Milan and Real Madrid manager Everton closed within striking distance of the top-six positions before a halt to top-flight football in England was called three weeks ago.

Ancelotti, then, has been keen to learn more about his side during this period of downtime and in addition to studying games is in intermittent contact with the Club's players.

One of his sport’s most decorated figures, Ancelotti’s glittering playing career – spells with Roma and Milan yielded two European Cups and three domestic titles – was affected by a handful of serious knee problems.

And he is exploiting a rare opportunity to work on his own physical conditioning.

“I am in Liverpool, with my wife and daughter-in-law. My daughter and her husband, my son and his wife are also in England,” said Ancelotti.

“You do things that you have never done before [because of this unique situation].

“To me, it’s a little strange, I never did that [prioritised his own fitness].

“But I have to, I have to adapt.

“I focus on a few more personal goals. For example, I have to put my knee back in place, so I do a little bit of cycling. A little bit of a diet too… it’s not bad for losing weight.

“Afterwards, I watch some of my team’s matches.

“I also keep in touch with the players. I do not call them regularly but, with the staff, we send them a training schedule which we update to keep them in good physical condition.”