DEAN HENDERSON has revealed sickening abuse from trolls gave him suicidal thoughts.
The Manchester United stopper, on-loan for a second successive year at Sheffield United, received a torrent of abuse regarding his personal life around March.
Dean Henderson has revealed he had suicidal thoughtsCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Henderson, 22, admitted that the worst of it came in matches against rivals Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds last season.
According to journalist Dan Hall, damaging accusations from rival fans made him contemplate taking his own life.
He tweeted: “When we sat down for my book earlier this year, he told me he’d thought about driving his car off Snake Pass because of abuse and damaging accusations from rival fans.”
Henderson also added that he believed he didn’t get the support he deserved in the two to three months after the abuse started.
He told Sky Sports: “Certainly last year at Hillsborough and Elland Road it wasn’t a pleasant time for me and my family.
“A lot of the accusations were completely horrendous. If it was racism people would be getting banned from stadiums. And for that, I think it is the worst thing you can ever get called.
“For me coming from a good family, it was hurtful. And people don’t know that it had a massive impact on me for a good two to three months.
“At certain times I was really lonely. I used to go back to my apartment, sit there and wonder, ‘How has this happened to me?’. So for that it wasn’t nice at all but people never know that.
“It was only my girlfriend who really knows how much it affected me. But we’ve stuck with it as a family and come out the other end.
“To go to Elland Road and beat them after what they said about me it meant the world to me.
“A young lad going out there, taking a lot of that bad stuff and negativity, no one speaks about that. I don’t think I got the support I deserved, really.
“But I dealt with it on my own in a way so I came out as a much stronger person mentally. For a lad at 22 years old, people don’t realise what I went through last season.
“I just take it on the chin and keep moving forward as I always would do.”
- IF you are having suicidal thoughts, suffering from anxiety or depression or just want to talk, call The Samaritans on 116 123.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk