New York Red Bull midfielder Tim Cahill believes Landon Donovan needs to get things in perspective in regard to his football career.
The LA Galaxy star is set to return to training in late March after a self-imposed exile from the game which he took to ponder his future during the MLS offseason.
Former Everton ace Cahill, who played briefly with Donovan during the USA internationals loan stints at Goodison Park, knows what it feels like to carry the weight of a nation on his shoulders and he hopes that the Galaxy skipper can simply embrace that.
"Listen, I'm blessed to be a footballer," said Cahill from the Desert Diamonds Cup on the weekend. "All I can say is people have to get up and go to work at 5 in the morning, like my parents.
"I always forget the hardship of people, what they go through mentally.
"You've got to put things in perspective. [Donovan's] got the world on his shoulders. It's not a bad thing to have on your shoulders, is it?
"It's a compliment when everything's thrown at you. When something goes wrong, it's your fault."
He added: "You have to question why you play football. If it's not for the right reasons, then stop. But if it is, then continue. He's a good kid. He knows what he can do and what he can't do, so I would just look at putting life into perspective. We've got a great job in the MLS. That's the way I look at things."
