With no real knowledge of when the coronavirus pandemic will end, one former Arsenal player has opened on on his mental health problems as he struggles to negotiate an evolving and very unusual situation.
Paul Merson’s battle with addiction and depression has been well documented, but having to isolate has hit him hard.
“With mental health issues, the last thing you want to do is isolate,” he told The Football Show, reported by the Daily Mirror.
“I’m learning stuff as we go along now, but it has been hard I’m not gonna lie, there have been some really really bad days, deep days […] When I see the phone ring and I don’t pick it up I know I’m struggling badly. I’m very fortunate I’ve got a garden. Things like that you take for granted.”
Football has been a part of Merson’s life since he was 16, and he’s built up a successful career as a pundit on Sky Sports since his playing days finished.
A beloved member of Sky’s Soccer Saturday panel, and one whose energy and wit make up an integral part of the offering, it’s a great shame to hear just how badly Merson is being affected by being stuck at home.
The lack of football is surely having a marked effect on the public at large too, with their Saturday’s taking an entirely different turn since the lockdown.
Let’s hope that it won’t be too long before Paul Merson is back on our screens. For his sake, and ours.