'It takes its toll' - Downes opens up on illness

Media caption, Downes opens up about illness and on the pitch issues

Southampton midfielder Flynn Downes has opened up for the first time about his ongoing illness struggles living with E. coli.

The 26-year-old experienced severe food poisoning during his early days at Saints and has missed games across his time at the club due to subsequent after-effects from that illness.

It was not until recently that Downes looked into the issues with his gut further, and in September received more information on his condition which affected him both on and off the field.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria normally live in the intestines of healthy people but while most types of E. coli are harmless, a few…