Bravery in speaking out stops issue being taboo

Players are allowed to talk about injuries, so why not mental health issues, asks Sam Wallace

It signals to wider audience that there is nothing wrong with being open

Danny Rose’s admission of depression is a gamechanger in English football: an elite Premier League player and England international on the brink of a World Cup finals prepared to admit that he has struggled with mental health issues.

Football has always had characters prepared to challenge managers, team-mates and even club owners. Much more rare have been leading footballers who are prepared to admit vulnerabilities they feel, and the bleak moments that affect individuals regardless of their talent or the value of their playing contracts.

Rose’s bravery and honesty will signal to a wider audience that there is nothing wrong with being open about one’s emotions and state of mind. There would be no thought given to a player discussing the recovery from injury – and Rose had a serious one of those with his knee problem – so why not a similar discussion about a player’s state of mind?

The Daily Telegraph has long examined the problem in its campaign, “Sport’s Mental Health Crisis” through interviews and investigations. Rose is an eloquent spokesman for the issue and there should be no regret from the FA or Rose’s club, Tottenham Hotspur, that he has been so candid. Indeed, it should be celebrated that both institutions are happy to let their players speak openly. Rose will not need telling but in Gareth Southgate he has a manager who will also admire him for doing so.