Michael Keane has opened up about how his form on the pitch and his mood off it are linked
Michael Keane has become a prominent player for Everton this season. With Jarrad Branthwaite out injured for much of the this season and fellow centre-backs Ben Godfrey and Mason Holgate sold out and sent out on loan respectively, he is often Sean Dyche’s pick to play alongside James Tarkowski in defence and could start again in today’s home fixture against Brentford.
Keane hasn’t had a straightforward time at Everton. He joined the club in the summer of 2017 from Burnley. A month into the 2017/18 season, he sliced his foot open in a 3-0 Carabao Cup win over Sunderland. After receiving eight stitches to close the wound, the defender made the decision to go through the pain barrier rather than miss games.
Speaking to The Athletic in 2020 about this, he said: “I remember having the injection in it to play one of the games, because things weren’t going great at the time at the club, and I didn’t want people to think of me that I’m throwing the towel in because I got a little injury.
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“I had an injection, I played, I was on painkillers as well and I just didn’t feel myself when I was playing, but I still wanted to be out there, and I thought I could play my best.
“Looking back now, I think it was the wrong decision. It eventually got infected, that cut, and was spreading up my leg, so I ended up in hospital for maybe three days on antibiotics on a drip and that was pretty dangerous. If I didn’t catch it sooner it could have been really serious.”
The defender has since vowed to not play with painkilling injections again but suffered another setback after fracturing his skull in a clash of heads with then-team-mate Idrissa Gueye in August 2018. He grew frustrated about how his time at Goodison Park was playing out.
He said: “The first season at Everton wasn’t brilliant at all. We didn’t really have any good periods to the season. We have a few good wins, but nothing prolonged.
“That was really disappointing and I remember times where I didn’t really wanna go out of the house after a bad loss. You felt a bit embarrassed, a bit ashamed. Especially me, being bought for a lot of money, a lot of expectation, and then to go to a team where the expectation is high and you are failing as a team.”
This affected the England international off the pitch too. He said: “I didn’t want to be seen out, so I thought it was best to stay in, which is fine, it happens in football, but the only way to come through that is keep working hard, and that’s what I did. Unfortunately, that season never really kicked on, but the year after was when I made my mark really.”
“I went round to my family’s house when I had that injury and I wasn’t feeling myself and I got really upset to be honest, and told them I was struggling. I was just finding it hard to concentrate and did break down a bit, that’s… well, that’s the last time I can really remember crying.”Michael urged others to open up about their mental health by talking to loved ones.
“They said a lot of people go through it. They’ve been through it in the past. They’ve had troubles themselves and they know, they had the experience, so they know you come out the other side.
“If you’re struggling, it’s good to get it off your chest and then people can help you. People are a massive help when you are struggling and it’s best to just let things out. They’ve been through it before and they made sure that I got through it.”
After sharing with family and friends, Keane’s next step was to talk to a sports psychologist. He said: “During that time when I had my injuries and I was playing through them, but not playing well, we were getting battered in a few games and they said, ‘You need to speak to someone, just to clear your head.’ There was nothing seriously wrong with me. It would just be good to speak to a different kind of person and try and reboot and refresh and go again.
“From that point on, I saw a sports psychologist, and I’m still in contact with him now. I’m also seeing another one, because it’s difficult for me to see the first one that I was first seeing all the time. It’s just something that I’ve continually done, even when things are going well.”
A big help for Michael is his dog who is called Vinnie. He explained in the same article: “He’d take my mind off a lot of things. 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 absolutely love having a dog. It’s just nice to get out on walks with him sometimes and clear your head. I do enjoy it.”
His family have always been supportive of his career but sadly his mum and dad missed the chance to see his first ever games for England against Germany and Lithuania. Keane’s dad Aidan and his mum Janet booked the sunshine break in Barbados to coincide with the international break in March 2017, thinking they would not miss the defender play for Burnley.
However, he ended up playing both games, meaning his parents watched the game in a beach bar. Keane said at the time: “They booked a holiday for the international break, thinking they wouldn’t miss any football. They were on a beach in Barbados watching the games. They’re gutted they couldn’t be there, but over the moon and really proud.”
