Burnley winger Aaron Lennon offers to help fellow pros suffering from mental health issues

'I’ll always be there, my door’s open, they can come and speak to me about anything, not just off the pitch, the football, anything'

Aaron Lennon's struggles with depression taught him to ask for help if he needed it (Getty)

Aaron Lennon, the Burnley winger, has offered to help to any fellow professionals suffering from anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.

Lennon was detained under the Mental Health Act by police at the side of a road in Salford in May 2017, during the final year of his spell at Everton.

The former England international received two months of treatment for a “stress-related illness” before returning to work, then joined Burnley the following January.

Lennon has previously described how he was “in a dark, dark place for a long time” during the worst periods of his illness, but has now put himself forward to help any fellow players who find themselves struggling.

“I would 100% be willing to offer my advice,” Lennon said, when asked if other players had approached him for guidance on mental health issues. “If anybody wanted to speak to me about anything I would be happy to help them.”

The 31-year-old added: “There are probably a lot of footballers who don’t want to come out and speak about it. It’s just normal, there are going to be spells where you might not feel so great and there are going to be spells where you do feel great.

“Hopefully it does open the door for people to say that they’re not okay and they’re not feeling good because there’s so much help out there.

“Hopefully I can be a good example to show that you can be going through a tough time but you can get back to where you want to be, enjoying football and enjoying life again.”

Lennon is enjoying his football again at Burnley (Getty)

Lennon is also happy to act as a role model at Turf Moor itself and said his “door is open” to any young Burnley player searching for help or advice regarding their mental health.

“If they wanted to speak to me I’d openly speak to them and offer them some guidance. I am one of the senior players now and I do try to help the younger players a lot.

“I’ll always be there, my door’s open, they can come and speak to me about anything, not just off the pitch, the football, anything. I’ll always try to help them, especially young lads because they need that these days.

“I would tell them to enjoy every day, train hard, work hard, give it your all each day,” he added.

Lennon hopes his own struggles are now in the past, and says that they rarely cross his mind these days, though his experience of depression taught him to take care of himself and ask for help if he feels he needs it.

“Touch wood I’ve been really good since,” he said. “You learn a lot about yourself during those periods. I had to learn a lot about myself and take a look about myself.

“I’ve got a great family and great friends. The clubs that I’ve been at have been fantastic for me. I see the only way as being up for me. It’s more looking at yourself. I learnt so much about myself in that period. I’m really thankful now, I’m feeling great.”

“It is out there a lot more now and that’s great. There is a lot of help out there. Some players, like myself, keep it to themselves. I had lots of people around me who I didn’t turn to, but it’s just one of those things. Everyone is different.

“But you’d like to think that now there is a lot of help out there so if anyone is feeling that way they should speak out.”