Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has urged Premier League players to avoid watching TV, reading newspapers or using social media.
Several prominent Premier League stars have admitted recently that criticism on either mainstream or social media has effected their performances and Neville has insisted that especially for younger players they would be much better off concentring completely on their game and blacking out all forms of football coverage.
“I’ve heard a few of the players saying the criticism gets to them. Don’t turn the telly on, don’t have Sky Sports on. Don’t pick up a newspaper. Don’t read social media. Play football. That’s a good bit of advice.’’ The Sky Sports pundit said.
“I used to read newspapers pre-23 but in that six-month period I stopped and I didn’t read them for years. I picked it up again towards the end because I became confident, experienced and I knew they couldn’t impact me anymore.
“Whatever they said about me, I’d heard it before and it was fine. But until you get to that point in your career as a player, where the criticism comes in and it goes straight out, if it goes in and it stays in, don’t read it because it impacts you.
“Don’t be on social media reading things if it impacts you. Don’t. It’s not for you.”