There's quite a lot of territory between 'not mentally fit to perform at the highest level for manchester united aged 19' and 'mentally ill.' People need to stick to the known facts and not speculate. Personally I doubt he'd be at a sports training facility in the Netherlands if he was clinically ill.
Given how common it is with severe stress related issues in professional sports — it would be anything but odd if it kept him out for a while. Also think the facts check every symptom. Like I don’t really agree with the ‘don’t speculate part’, when it seems so obvious what is going on (broadly).
Athletes commonly get burnout like symptoms and panic attacks. What is labeled as ‘
panic attacks’ sounds dramatic due to its label, but in reality it’s just the body protesting by basically sending out hormones causing someone as much anxiety as the body is able to stir up. A minority reacts physically when it happens by like getting problems breathing, thinking they are having a heart attack or whatever, but for most it’s just an overreaction and others can’t tell when you are having one.
Being exposed to this is the extremely unpleasant and drains the body of energy. For someone with severe stress related issues, ‘panic attacks’ often occur regularly for a longer period. Weeks/months/even years in the worst cases. It’s not uncommon that panic attacks leads to a depression. A depression is pretty serious.
In all this, it’s very likely that Jason Sancho is 100% level headed, concerned with how his body is overreacting mentally. Regrets putting as much pressure on himself as he have, given how he ultimately just loves playing football. Everyone on planet earth has some kind of personal issue related to family, partners, friends, relatives and what not.
In addition, it’s very likely that he is in a state where he is desperate to get his life back in order, come back to what he loves the most, playing football. But of course, if you get panic attacks on a daily basis — no matter what you do — it’s hard to not think ‘will it ever get better’? Sancho is obviously extremely driven and has been an Uber Menschen his entire life. If he wants to learn something, do something, he works hard on it. Focus on it. This is just contra-productive when what would be best for him would be to just do the opposite, let go. Don’t care so much.
Why is it so obvious that Sancho at least roughly are having problems like this? Him deleting his social media accounts, him wanting to get away from Manchester/the team/everything, it not being given a date for when he returns. Him not being able to return for a very normal date as today, when everyone else are returning. First it was said — he won’t come along to Spain. Nothing mentioned that he would miss a day after Spain.
He was fit enough and in a mental state to play to start the year — then miss what three weeks with an “illness”.
These type of issues are really really common. Some get them when they are 12, others when they are 22, many when they are 44 — or whatever. It has always existed. But forever it has been swept under the carpet, called something else.
It is 100% possible to treat these type of emergency conditions with medicine. As I understand it, science is more and more leaning towards advising inserting medical treatment early in the process.
Why isn’t it done from day 1 in all cases? What you fear is the risk for the warning signs the body sends out will be neglected. Everyone can have bad habits. Problems sleeping. Some always get really nervous before a game. Struggles sleeping the night before a game. Whatever. To get away from those bad habits, you do need a wake up call. Time to consider what really matters in life.
Maybe Sancho doesn’t want to take pills. I had a really bad burnout in February 2016. I listened to an interview with Buffon about his burnout. He refused to take pills. I also refused to take pills, I got a little better gradually, but it was tough. On 30 May 2016 my dad died from an heart attack without any previous warning. I started to have real depression like symptoms (couldn’t eat, the stomach/digestive system just shut off, was freezing really bad, felt nothing and nothing I did changed how I felt, really horrible to experience). And I called the doctor and got classic pills. They helped me a lot. Was probably a few months before I started to get back towards 100% (started working 1 August 2016 at a little reduced rate (I normally work 60 hour weeks))and after a couple of years I was completely 100% and after that better than anytime before to be honest because I just see things differently.
Why is it — IMO — not wrong to speculate on this?
1. It’s nothing to be ashamed about. It’s really common. At some point or another more than 50% of the population get severe issues of this type.
2. It’s often caused by very normal things, everyday stress, which Sancho being in an exposed profession face a ton of.
3. Realistically it takes time. Half a year at least is some kind of rule of thumb, but it can of course go faster. The more time it takes, the better it probably is for Sancho’s future as a football player. No need to speculate on if he will be back in the near future.
And instead of calling it some odd inflation or mono or whatever — like it’s some kind of shameful thing, it just helps others to call it what it is.
.