Ex-Sheffield United psychologist says footballers may suffer mentally during coronavirus lockdown

A leading sports psychologist, who helped Sheffield United romp to the League One title back in 2017, says that leading footballers may sufferer identity crises during the current coronavirus lockdown.
Sports psychologist Steven Sylvester during his time at Sheffield United: Simon Bellis/SportimageSports psychologist Steven Sylvester during his time at Sheffield United: Simon Bellis/Sportimage
Sports psychologist Steven Sylvester during his time at Sheffield United: Simon Bellis/Sportimage

Steve Sylvester, who worked with the Blades as they broke the 100-point barrier in lifting the league title in Chris Wilder's first season at Bramall Lane, also hailed the job Wilder and his players have done this season.

When the Premier League was suspended due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Wilder's men were seventh in the table - with a game in hand on Manchester United, who occupy the final Champions League place.

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"I’ve worked in football for a good while and much of my work is with individual players in the top two leagues,” said ­Sylvester.

“It’s brilliant how Chris Wilder and the guys have done. A lot of that comes from positive thinking and mentality."

That mentality, though, is being threatened in some quarters by the current football lockdown. United's last game was a 1-0 win over Norwich almost a month ago, and their players are now training at home in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus.

"For a footballer, their very identity is being threatened,” Sylvester told The Mirror.

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“There are different ­approaches but players want to keep fit, they want to finish the season and that’s how they are. That’s a part of their identity and if they’re suddenly told they can’t do it then it will feel very alien.

“If you think about how much loneliness and isolation there is in society anyway and now it’s even worse.

“Players are used to routine, that’s how they live their lives: training, games and so on. Now suddenly super-fit athletes have nothing at the end of it.

People in sport work hard physically, but how much do they talk every day? What’s going on in their lives? How are they feeling generally?

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“People don’t know what’s going on, you worry about your family, if you’ve got parents, ­elderly parents and, while it puts football into ­perspective, footballers are being stopped from what they love doing."

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