LONDON, England (BBC) – Manchester City defender Micah Richards is making a good recovery from swine flu after contracting the illness while on holiday in Cyprus. The 21-year-old has been confined to his hotel room but his publicist Max Clifford says he is making progress.

“He is fine, he is virtually back to his old self now and he can’t wait to get back,” Clifford told the BBC.

“To my knowledge he’s the first professional footballer to get swine flu so he’s made a bit of history.”

The England international revealed to The Sun newspaper he caught the virus while on holiday in Ayia Napa, where he was relaxing after helping England reach the final of the Under-21 European Championships in Sweden – a match they lost 4-0 to Germany.

“At first I thought it was a really bad chest infection, or maybe alcohol poisoning,” he told The Sun.

“I felt so weak that I couldn’t move or eat. My friends had to bring me drinks in bed.

“When I was told I had swine flu all sorts of things started going through my mind. You see on the news people dying of it.”

Richards, who was due to fly home on Wednesday, is taking Tamiflu medication while in isolation in a five-star hotel in the Cypriot party resort on the south east coast and hopes to be able to return to Britain today.

“My club has been very understanding. I’ll get some stick from the lads when I do return – they will probably all turn up to training in surgical masks.

“No-one out there is so fit and healthy they can’t catch swine flu. If I can get it, anyone can.”

The British government said Wednesday that 9 718 cases of swine flu had been confirmed since the disease reached the country in late April, and so far 15 people have died from the illness in Britain.