Anil Patel, who spent 149 days in our hospitals with Covid-19 in 2020 (above), has spoken to the Metro newspaper about how a call from West Ham ace Michail Antonio helped lift his spirits at a dark time.

The message was arranged for West Ham mad Anil by his daughter Aneeka.

Anil also gave the paper an update on his condition and said: “My recovery has been slow but I am getting better.

“I’m very optimistic. My target it to talk a bit more and I get up every hour to walk around the living room or kitchen. And I’ve got me family around, so it’s not that bad.”

Anil left our hospital in October 2020, before spending time in a rehab facility, finally going home to his family last November, in time for both his daughters’ birthdays.