The Aston Villa man sought the help of a psychologist
Tyrone Mings struggled with his mental health during Euro 2020, he has revealed to the
Sun.
Mings started England's first two group games against Croatia and Scotland before Harry Maguire returned from injury for the third game and started the rest of the tournament ahead of him.
Before the tournament, Mings came under criticism after some unconvincing performances in the warm-up friendlies, but was solid and assured when he played against Croatia in particular.
The doubts that surrounded his ability in the build up significantly affected his mental health to the extent that he had therapy during the tournament.
"I did have a tough time in the lead-up to the opening game against Croatia," Mings
said.
"I think I’m a lot more hardened to outside influences now, but my mental health did plummet.
"And I have no shame in admitting that because there was so many unknowns about me going to that game."
Mings acknowledged that he was one of the most doubted players in the side, and that level of criticism was something he had to 'overcome'.
“I was probably the only name on the teamsheet that people thought, ‘Not sure about him’. And that was something I had to overcome," he explained.
“When 90-95 per cent of your country are having doubts over you, it’s very difficult to stop this intruding on your own thoughts."
Mings was proactive in tackling this mental challenge, seeking the help of his sport psychologist.
"So I did a lot of work on that with my psychologist. I was given a lot of coping mechanisms — whether it was breathing, meditation, or just learning how to bring yourself into the present moment. To stop letting your subconscious take over," he recalled.
He added: "It was hard. I didn’t really sleep very well before that first game."
I should now acknowledge that like many other England fans and pundits, I too expressed doubts about his ability to step up to the required level in the Euros, but Mings proved us all wrong with his solid performances, and long may it continue.
Mings then solidified his status as a hero after the tournament with his brutal calling out of Home Secretary
Priti Patel, accusing her of 'stoking the fire' by labelling the action of taking the knee 'gesture politics' before 'pretending to be disgusted when the very thing we're campaigning against happens.'
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