Stuart Dallas: 'Footballers are human' - Baraclough supports player after loss of friend
- Published
Leeds United fans chanted Stuart Dallas' name after he opened up about dealing with grief as a footballer
Northern Ireland manager Ian Baraclough has given his support to Stuart Dallas after the Leeds United man opened up about dealing with grief.
Dallas, 30, pulled out of the NI squad for September's World Cup qualifiers.
He has revealed this was due to the death of a close friend and contracting Covid-19 at the same time, which meant he couldn't attend the funeral.
"I think a lot of people look at footballers and think they are immune to dark times," said Baraclough.
"They are human beings like everybody else and we all have to deal with things in our own way."
Dallas described the death of one of his closest friends as a "challenging time". Testing positive for coronavirus meant he was not able to attend the funeral and instead spent time isolating in a hotel room, which made the bereavement "even more difficult".
His openness on the topic of grief as a footballer was widely praised by fellow players and supporters, and the 30-year-old was given a standing ovation after Leeds' victory away to Norwich City, with the travelling support chanting his name after the final whistle.
Baraclough has given his backing to one of the most influential players in his squad both on and off the pitch, adding he is proud of how Dallas felt he could speak about such a personal issue.
"With Stuart, I was pleased he felt he could talk about it and speak about it and make it quite open," added Baraclough.
"Having Covid, losing a best friend, not being able to go to his funeral - hopefully he sees that we were there for him and there are good people around him that helped him through that time.
"For him to be able to talk about it as well is so, so important. Mental health, it's something we are still not fully on top of and it is so important to show people that there is someone out there who will listen and help guide them.
"It can happen to anybody, so for Stuart to come out and say that, hopefully it opens corridors for others to know that someone is there for them and to help them."