A prison with plush bathrobes: Brighton's Maty Ryan in Sydney hotel quarantine lockdown

Albion goalkeeper Maty Ryan has taken inspiration from Thor actor Chris Hemsworth while in quarantine at a Sydney hotel as Brighton players have been placed on leave until May 1.
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Albion's first team squad had been training from home using group fitness apps but that's now on hold amid the continued Premier League suspension due to coronavirus.

Ryan flew to his native Australia and has started two weeks of quarantine at a hotel in Sydney.

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Last month Australia closed it borders to foreign tourists amid tough measures to reduce the impact of coronavirus. All Australian travellers returning from overseas have been forced into a mandatory two-week quarantine period.

Maty Ryan has travelled back to Australia while the Premier League remains suspendedMaty Ryan has travelled back to Australia while the Premier League remains suspended
Maty Ryan has travelled back to Australia while the Premier League remains suspended

They stay at state-run quarantine centres, which are often luxury hotels such as Hilton, InterContinental and Swissôtel. The Australian government foot the bill for their stay and food.

When landing at the airport, all international travellers are taken immediately to a hotel. They cannot return to their homes until they have completed their hotel lockdown - which some have described as prison with plush bathrobes.

“The club has given us off until May 1 but they told me to book an open-ended ticket because it could be I’ll be here longer," said Ryan speaking to Sky Sports Radio in Australia.

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“If I’m honest that’s a little bit my gut feeling but I don’t want to get caught up in speculation because there is just so much uncertainty.”

Ryan, 27, is known as one of the most dedicated trainers at the club and will continue his exercise regime while in quarantine.

The Socceroos goalkeeper also said how Australian movie star Chris Hemsworth has inspired him to get a 'Bod of Thunder' like the Thor star while in isolation.

“I’m keeping proactive in the room, doing some home workouts and speaking to friends and family,” he told Big Sports Breakfast.

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“I feel like I’ve been using the time to do somethings that perhaps I wasn’t able to do in the normal routine.

“Improvisation is a bit of a skill and I’ve seen in the media that Chris Hemsworth has been promoting getting things around the house to stay active so I took a leaf out of his book to try and get a bit creative and kill some time.

“I like being fit, active and healthy so I thought I would get a bit of an extra load through the legs with a suitcase. I think it was 20kg but just trying to get creative in the current circumstance I’ve found myself in.”

After a meeting last week, the Premier League confirmed there will be no resumption until it is safe to do so. Albion head coach Graham Potter said it was likely the Brighton players would receive time off amid the uncertainty.

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"Sometimes you do more harm than good doing the same stuff for too long," said Potter last Thursday on a Zoom video press conference.

"The guys would probably need a break to maybe focus on their families and live in a slightly different way, so you have to weigh it up.

“It is not like they can go on holiday so maybe they would still benefit from some kind of structure. It is something we will have to think about.”

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