Young footballers are becoming addicted to gaming and clubs must do more to protect them, former England Under-21 and Watford striker Marvin Sordell has warned.
Sordell, who shook the football world when he announced his retirement from the game at the age of just 28 as he struggled with his own mental wellbeing, claims the next generation of players is being let down.
The ex-striker, who scored 68 career goals in 321 appearances, thinks gaming has taken over from gambling as one of the biggest problems affecting player welfare.
He spoke out as he was unveiled as an ambassador for the national charity the Young Gamers & Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM),
'Football players have a huge amount of free time but they are only allowed to spend it in specific ways,' said Sordell.