Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings pays for weekly therapy sessions as football ‘does not care’ about mental health

TYRONE MINGS has revealed he pays for weekly therapy sessions because football “does not care” about mental health.

The Aston Villa defender, who made his England debut in October, has impressed with his charity work since signing his first professional deal for Ipswich in 2012.

But Mings, 27, admits that despite his active work in the community, his main priority will be  working on his own  mental health ahead of football’s return.

Speaking on a  new documentary ‘Football, Prince William and our Mental Health’ which airs on BBC1 tomorrow, Mings said: “It’s a difficult one.

"Nobody really cares about if you have a bad day, nobody really cares if you might be  having a problem mentally or a  problem physically, or problems at home.

“You can’t carry that into a game because you only really get judged on your performance.”

Mings has voiced his concern about Project Restart starting too early and the Villains star is doing everything he can to make sure he is ready and safe.

He said: “I pay a psychologist to help me throughout the week. I found that throughout  injury and stuff, that was the thing that helped me.”

The programme  follows the Duke of Cambridge as he attempts to reduce the stigma around mental health.  

Mings opens up about how he looks after his own mental health.

He also surprised NHS key workers Sarah Mawer and Kunal Sapat with video calls to thank them for their efforts in battling the  Covid-19 pandemic.

Mings  told Mawer: “I don’t think we can truly put into words just how appreciative we are of people like you.”

Previously, Mings has spoken of  his own tough upbringing, living in homeless shelters.

He said: “I’ve been in a lot of unfavourable situations growing up, so I know what it’s like to need help.”

Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health, tomorrow at 8.05pm on BBC1.