![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/gary-neville-players-given-sleeping-pills-was-common-practice-before-i-retired/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/0_Screenshot-2023-07-13-at-171554-copy.jpg&description=Dele Alli, who starred for England in their 2018 World Cup run, spoke about an addiction to sleeping tablets during a wide-ranging interview with pundit Gary Neville Former England defender Gary Neville has said it was "not unusual" to be offered sleeping tablets during his playing career amid Dele Alli's addiction comments. Dele, who has returned to parent club Everton after a loan spell with Besiktas, spoke about his own sleeping pill addiction during an interview with his compatriot. The 27-year-old said the issue is "going around more than people realise in football," after admitting it impacted him during his time in Turkey. It is not simply a 2023 issue, though, according to Neville. The pundit and broadcaster, who played 85 times for England in his own career, shed light on his own experiences when speaking to the former Tottenham star. "When I was a player, sleeping pills are not unusual in football," Neville said on The Overlap. "You'd be offered one the night before the game, always, because a player might not sleep because of the build-up and the adrenaline, and also sometimes after a game. "When you say it's more widespread in the game, are you talking about players taking them every night?" he asked Dele. "Are you talking about players potentially [taking] multiple tablets at once... what levels were you at with them?" "I was taking a lot," the former MK Dons talent said. "I don't want to talk about numbers but it was definitely way too much." Dele admitted he spent six weeks in rehab for his addiction. '"When I came back from Turkey I found out I needed an operation, I was in a bad place mentally. I decided to go to a modern day rehab facility for mental health," he said. "They deal with addiction, mental health and trauma. I felt like it was time for me, with things like that you can't be told to go there, you have to know and make the decision yourself or it's not going to work. He thanked Everton, saying the club supported him "100 per cent". "'Goin){kind=link}
Dele Alli, who starred for England in their 2018 World Cup run, spoke about an addiction to sleeping tablets during a wide-ranging interview with pundit Gary Neville
Former England defender Gary Neville has said it was “not unusual” to be offered sleeping tablets during his playing career amid Dele Alli’s addiction comments.
Dele, who has returned to parent club Everton after a loan spell with Besiktas, spoke about his own sleeping pill addiction during an interview with his compatriot. The 27-year-old said the issue is “going around more than people realise in football,” after admitting it impacted him during his time in Turkey.
It is not simply a 2023 issue, though, according to Neville. The pundit and broadcaster, who played 85 times for England in his own career, shed light on his own experiences when speaking to the former Tottenham star.
“When I was a player, sleeping pills are not unusual in football,” Neville said on The Overlap. “You’d be offered one the night before the game, always, because a player might not sleep because of the build-up and the adrenaline, and also sometimes after a game.