Reading midfielder Emerse Fae contracted malaria while playing for Ivory Coast at the African Nations Cup. Fae was part of the squad that travelled to Middlesbrough for a league match on Saturday, which Reading won 1-0, but was withdrawn after feeling ill.

Blood tests in hospital revealed the player, signed from Nantes last year, had the disease.

"It appears that Emerse picked up malaria when he was in Ghana for the Africa Cup and it lay dormant for a couple of weeks before coming out over the weekend," club physio Jon Fearn said.

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