When Michael Keane wasn’t feeling great, he got himself a dog.



“Vinnie,” says the 27-year-old centre-back, as his face lights up.



It is a few weeks ago, before football shut down, and Keane is talking to The Athletic as part of a new collaborative project between EA Sports, COPA90 and men’s mental health charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM).



In support of the charity and its campaigns, Keane has helped to create a new video, sharing some of his own personal experiences.



“He’d take my mind off a lot of things,” adds Keane about his German Shepherd. “Keeps me busy, obviously. I have to take him out for walks, I’m always looking after him. It’s just a bit of a companion, isn’t it? So even when there’s no one else in the house, but you’ve got your dog there, you don’t feel alone, do you?



“I think, looking back at it, he might have been a help. I...