Football should be braced for a mental health crisis in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, former Premier League forward Marvin Sordell has warned.

Sordell, who retired last year, has become an influential voice on mental health in the game after suffering from depression during a career including spells at Watford, Bolton and Charlton, and he fears the impact of the lockdown on his former team-mates.

“[There’s] all these factors to rush the game back and all this talk about where the players are going to be at physically,” Sordell told Standard Sport. “But where are the players going to be at mentally? I definitely think there could be a significant amount [struggling with mental health].

“When it gets back to playing, things aren’t just going to be normal straight away. It’s going to take a long time for normality to kick back in.”

The deep impact on mental health in wider society is forecast to be among the most severe hidden costs of the pandemic — and footballers are far from immune.

Deprived of routine, purpose and a competitive environment, often far away from their home towns and family and with concerns ranging from finances and fitness to gambling and alcohol, an unprecedented number of players are currently seeking professional help.

According to the players’ union, the PFA, 299 players accessed mental health support in the first quarter of the year, compared to 653 in the whole of 2019.

“That’s very telling,” added Sordell. “It takes a player to have nowhere else to go to be able to ask for help. If that many people are asking for help, there’s going to be many more people in that position who don’t feel they can. It’s really quite scary.”

The PFA have provided all their members in the Premier League and EFL with a 24-question survey on mental health during the shutdown, asking about feelings of depression, self-harm and concerns over gambling and alcohol abuse. According to the Daily Telegraph, of the 250-plus to have returned the anonymous survey so far, 12 have been categorised as “high risk”.

A separate survey by FIFPRO, the global players’ union, found double the number of male and female footballers in 16 countries — all of which have implemented drastic social-distancing measures — reporting symptoms of depression since the game’s suspension, while also showing that there has been a sharp rise in anxiety.

QPR’s head of medical, Dr Imtiaz Ahmad, co-authored that study and says the loss of’ “structural routine” and the sheer level of uncertainty affecting the game are key contributors.

“There’s a number of reasons,” he said. “With regards to the population in general, social isolation brings out anxiety and depression-like features. Then there’s anxiety about health. With footballers, there are issues about their fitness, uncertainty about when play will return and with their contracts, in terms of wages and deferrals.”

Faced with an escalating crisis, clubs are attempting to be proactive. At Millwall, for example, the sports science department is sending players weekly questionnaires, including questions on mood and happiness, while the club are also offering optional yoga sessions over Zoom.

''It takes a player to have nowhere else to go to be able to ask for help. If that many people (299 so far in 2020) are asking for help, there’s going to be many more people in that position who don’t feel they can. It’s really quite scary Marvin Sordell

Arsenal and Tottenham have made psychologists available to their squad, while many clubs — and the PFA — are urging players to use the lockdown to learn new skills. Manchester United are encouraging players to enrol on Open University courses and learn to cook, while John Terry, Aston Villa’s assistant manager, has said players should use the time to prepare for retirement.

Clubs are making daily checks on their players, as well as setting up new social media groups, and ensuring they have access to information on wellbeing, relaxation, meditation and fitness.

“Communication is very important, whether you’re on lockdown or not,” said Ahmad. “When you’ve got an environment where you can communicate openly and trust is built in, people are more likely to open up and talk about [mental health].”

Many young men, in particular, feel more comfortable describing the symptoms of depression and anxiety, rather than identifying themselves as having mental health problems, so clubs are having to be thorough.

“We regularly ask about sleep and appetite, their energy levels, their concentration,” added Ahmad. “These are early signs of stress or anxiety. If we notice anything different from normal, we can look into it.”

Aided by pioneers like Sordell and Tottenham’s Danny Rose, football has taken strides towards eradicating the stigma around mental health, with an increasing number of players speaking out and the PFA reporting year-on-year increases in members making use of a network of therapists and confidential helplines. If the shutdown proves a watershed in the conversation, it could be one lasting benefit of the pandemic.

Ahmad believes many of the players now suffering will recover when the shutdown is over, but Sordell is concerned that the scale of the problem continues to be overlooked by clubs and authorities as they struggle to get the game back up and running.

“I like to think we’re heading in the right direction anyway,” said the 29-year-old. “But everybody is in such a rush to get the season finished. That’s all anyone’s thinking about, so I can’t see the mental health of players being considered that much of a big deal.”