Michail Antonio has hit back at comments from Roy Keane in which the former Manchester United midfielder criticised current players for pursuing interests outside of football.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Keane expressed his concern with current players hosting podcasts and other such platforms.
“I think that [podcasts] can be a distraction for a player, particularly if you’re on the back of a defeat, and you’re in the next day and everyone is having a bit of a laugh.
“I don’t think you should laugh for a week or two if you’ve been beaten.”
Antonio co-hosts the BBC Sounds Footballer’s Football Podcast, currently working alongside Fulham’s Tom Cairney after initially starting the podcast with Newcastle forward Callum Wilson.
He believes Keane’s comments are outdated and stressed the importance of footballers exploring other opportunities.
“It’s dinosaur mentality. Because when he was playing, every manager, everyone, every fan constantly said ‘focus on your football’. ‘Go to sleep with a football in your arms’,” Antonio said on the podcast.
“Footballers now are focusing on their football and can do their football but then they also can focus on other things, their businesses.
“So, if I’ve got time to do this, then why shouldn’t I? I understand that if you’ve got battered on the weekend, which I did, it’s not a thing about being sad for two weeks because there’s another game coming next week. You’re meant to forget what happened on the weekend and make it better the next week.
“That’s why a lot of players struggled with mental health problems because people are telling them they’re meant to struggle for two whole weeks because they got battered on the weekend. No.”
