Ryan Giggs and Jamie Carragher admit to battling demons in support of Aaron Lennon
Manchester United and Liverpool icons have opened up on their struggles inm support of the Everton man
RYAN GIGGS and Jamie Carragher have admitted to struggling with the psychological demands of Premier League football, in the wake of Aaron Lennon’s ordeal.
The Everton winger is fighting a stress-related illness after being picked up by Manchester police by the side of a road.
Support from current and former players has been overwhelming with the English midfielder clearly a popular man facing a recognisable struggle.
And the two Premier League icons have stuck their heads out to admit that they too dealt with demons in their exceptional careers.
: “I'm sure if you asked managers what my best attribute was they would have said mental strength and I needed every ounce of it to succeed.
“But I used to put myself under enormous pressure to perform and, eventually, I decided I needed to speak to someone away from the Liverpool FC bubble.
“The pressure from within used to have an impact on my behaviour.
"If games had gone badly, I would take things home with me. I'd be snappy at my kids and felt constantly wound up.
“The games I hated most were the ones before an international break. What if we lost? What if I played badly?
If either of those things happened, it meant two weeks of mental torment, of not being able to sleep and, in some cases, not leaving the house for two days.
“Anger and bad experiences used to fuel my performances, but it was horribly draining. "Even now, in retirement, people talk to me about Istanbul, Champions League adventures and the great days in Cardiff, but I can't clear my head of the bad moments.”
most read in football
And , has admitted that he too struggled with coping with life away from Old Trafford.
The Wales hero said: “Institutionalised is a description I would apply to my life as a footballer at Manchester United.
“I know that those outside of the game will point to our wages and the kind of lives we live and to an extent that does cushion us from the challenges that many face, but it does not make us immune.
“I made the decision to see a psychiatrist to learn how best to cope and some of the suggestions he made served me well in adapting to a new life outside of United.
“I do not know what has affected Aaron, but I always struggled in the periods I was out the team or playing badly. I had a feeling of worthlessness.
“As a footballer you wonder if your team-mates are looking at you and asking the questions you are asking of yourself. Why can’t he hit a decent pass? Why’s he always injured? What’s wrong with him?
"There are people who do very stressful jobs – doctors, nurses, policemen, teachers, lawyers.
"I have nothing but respect for that. The one thing I felt was unique to a footballer’s stress was that every day when I left my house I never knew what I would encounter.
“During my playing career I saw a psychiatrist once, when my hamstring injuries got bad. When I started playing no one did that.
“There was a mentality that you had to get on with it. That one bad result changed nothing, that the cream would always rise to the top.
"That was one way of dealing with the pressure I suppose, and then gradually speaking to psychiatrists or experts became more commonplace.
- For help with mental health call the on 116 123