Burnley striker Lyle Foster reassured he's 'not alone' as Sky Sports studio discuss progress over mental health

Last week the Clarets revealed the striker was taking a leave of absence to seek treatment after reaching out for help.

The matter of mental health within sport, and the progress that has been made in recent years, was discussed by the Sky Sports studio on Super Sunday.

Micah Richards, talking to presenter David Jones and fellow panellist Daniel Sturridge, revealed he feels a lot more comfortable speaking about his own issues than he did back during his playing days.

“If we were in the changing room and I had a problem years ago, 15 years ago, I would never tell him anything because that would be seen as weak,” he said.

“But now, if I had a problem, I’m not afraid to call someone or ask for advice. Tell me what’s going on because you are not alone. That’s the key message.

“From now, I could speak to everyone and express how I’m really feeling, rather than saying ‘I’m okay’.”

Sturridge added: “We’re all the same, we all go through different issues in our lives. We wake up, we brush our teeth, we wash our face.

“Some people earn more money than others and that’s life, but in the end our inside and what we feel on the inside, a lot of people do mask it.

“I’ve been through periods, I’m sure Micah has, I’m sure you have David. We all go through different things.

“The emotion you feel on the inside, you put a brave face on it and move forward, but sometimes it is good to speak to people, let your emotions out, cry if you need to cry, it’s not about being macho or being too big.

“It’s about being real and letting people understand how you feel as a person, then you can slowly but surely progress and move forward.”

Foster has missed Burnley’s last four games in all competitions and no timeframe has been put on his return.

“At this moment in time he needs support and he needs to be with people who understand how to help him,” his manager Vincent Kompany said.