Newcastle have banned handshakes between players and staff due to fears over the coronavirus.

“There’s a ritual here that everybody shakes hands with everybody as soon as we see each other every morning. But we’ve stopped that on the advice of our club doctor. Thankfully, we’ve got a superb doctor and he will keep us informed of what we have to do. We’re like everybody else, we’re glued to the TV for where it’s going to go next. Everybody has to be respectful of it, don’t we? It’s been rammed down our throats often enough on TV and the rest of it," said manager Steve Bruce.

Bruce recalled that a bug had swept through the team around Christmas.

“In confined areas, like we’ve got here, you have to be careful. There was a time over Christmas when there was a virus knocking around – not coronavirus – so we’re a bit mindful of the fact a bug can sweep through.

“We had four or five players at Christmas and two of my staff [suffering from the virus], so you stay at home, basically."

Several matches across Italy have been postponed or played behind closed doors due to fears over the virus.