The Ryan Sessegnon situation at Tottenham and what it says about football and social media

Of all the times you would think a young footballer would not have to politely ask people to think twice before abusing him it would be after a major operation. Let's be honest, they shouldn't need to ask at all, regardless of the occasion.

There's an even sadder irony that those people who 23-year-old Ryan Sessegnon asked to be spared by this week are his own club's supporters; a minority, but those for whom 'support' is not so much a thing and it's more about getting their opinion out there, regardless of whether it's necessary for others to hear it or how it might affect anyone involved.

It's usually accompanied, after being pulled up on it, by such choice phrases as 'snowflake' or 'well if you can't handle it...'. The other favourites are 'they get paid enough to deal with it' or 'that's the price of being a celebrity'. Of course, as with everything social media provides, it's a very small minority of fans and some don't even realise they have become trolls while others revel in it. But words can have an impact especially on those who are vulnerable and going through tough times.

Sessegnon was on the cusp of becoming one of the best young players England had produced in years. He burst onto the scene as a teenager, with 16 goals and eight assists as a 17-year-old and being named the Championship Player of the Season as he drove Fulham into the Premier League. He was being spoken about as a potential surprise England squad inclusion for the World Cup in Russia a month later.

«He’s one of the best football ‘projects’ in England and the world. He has huge potential ahead of him and a healthy mentality. I believe he can arrive and become a top player,» said his former Fulham boss Salvisa Jokanovic.

In the Premier League, the