Former Man United stalwart opens up on how constant trolling affected his mental health



When football players are at the top of their game it isn’t just their physical health that they need to be in the best condition, and as one former Man United star noted, the consistent trolling he was subjected to by faceless internet keyboard warriors took a real toll on his mental health.

Though arguably never the most popular player at Old Trafford, Man United supporters always knew that they were going to get 100 percent effort and commitment from Phil Jones when he was fit.

Ex-Man United ace speaks out on the serious effects of trolling

Unfortunately, injuries all but wrecked his United career, and coupled with trolls taking pot shots when they felt like it, it’s no wonder that it eventually took its toll.

“Anybody who tells you that it doesn’t [affect them] is lying. And as footballers you have to put this mask on,” Jones was quoted as saying by Mundo Deportivo.

“You get paid a lot of money so you are not allowed to have feelings or emotions. The physical injuries made me mentally weak at times.

Ex-Man United star, Phil Jones, has spoken about the horrific effects of social media trolling on his mental health (Photo by Anthony Devlin)

“Obviously people will ask, ‘he is always injured?’ as though they   think that I wake up one day and  think, ‘oh, yeah, I fancy being injured  today.’

“But my coping  mechanism  was to be  silent, put my   guard up, my shield up around with my really close family. I wouldn’t even really communicate with my friends that well.”

It throws more light on the human side of the game, and brings into sharper focus why there should be more done by social media organisations when it comes to online abuse.


 

Jones’ testimony will arguably help players who are, perhaps, suffering in silence as he once did.

Having good mental health is as important, if not more so, than having good physical health, as the associated confidence that being in the right headspace would bring, could be the difference between getting that extra few percent needed to decide games in the big moments.

Top photo by Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images