Expert salutes ‘great move’ from Liverpool after Straker deal completed
Liverpool are ahead of the curve in appointing a psychiatrist to help young stars and new signings deal with the pressures of the game.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis.
The Daily Mail reported last month (22 January) that Liverpool have hired Ishbel Straker as their in-house psychiatric therapist.
She will speak regularly with players to help them deal with online and racist abuse, as well as issues surrounding sudden fame and addiction.
The appointment is the first of its kind in the Premier League.
Liverpool confirmed the signing of 25-year-old Luis Diaz from Porto last Sunday (30 January).
And Dinnery insists that Straker’s appointment will also help foreign imports to deal with slings and arrows of moving to a new country.
“She will be involved on a day-to-day basis,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“Ishbel Straker had been involved with the club on a fairly ad-hoc basis in the two or three months prior to that appointment.
“We see these things more across more clubs nowadays. We’re going to see these appointments on a permanent basis more frequently.
“Through social media and the racism element, it’s not hard to see why these things are needed.
“When you’re young, in the public eye and have the money that comes along with that, it brings pressure.
“At the highest level, it’s small margins. There is the performance element, yes. But you’re also talking about protecting the players’ longevity and career.
“If anxiety and worry are allowed to manifest that can trigger a host of health problems. It can cause various muscle and fatigue problems.
“These are huge red flags when it comes to injury incidents. If they can be addressed through talking and offloading, that can only be a good thing.
“It shows that it’s not just about the football, it’s about an understanding of protecting players in an ever-changing landscape.
“Young players who are coming through the ranks or coming from other countries need that support.
“So I think it’s a great move and something that we’ll see more of going forward.”
Diaz scored 16 goals and supplied six assists in 28 matches for Porto in the first half of 2021-22.
He could make his Liverpool debut in the Fa Cup clash against Cardiff City on Sunday (6 February).
In other news, pundit suggests Liverpool “worried” about missing out on Fabio Carvalho after Sky update.