Aston Villa midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker admits he struggles to handle the highs and lows of Premiership life.

"I'm 23, still single, no wife, no kids, nothing," he told the Independent. "I've moved from home and I'm living in Birmingham by myself. I come to training. I might not have had a good game at the weekend, and I don't have a good session. I get very down, very low on confidence. Who do I turn to when I get down and depressed? There's no one to talk to and you can't get away from football. You can read books, play computers, but football is so big you can't avoid it.

"Fans are not interested by that side. All they are about is Reo-Coker turning up on Saturday and performing to the best of his abilities, to their expectations. It is difficult. Some weekends I go back to London, go to my church, it can be a relief. But that's not there during the week.

"I am my own worst critic. I remember coaches saying I am too hard on myself, that I take football too seriously. I've been told I play like I have the world on my shoulders. But that is me. When we lose I feel ashamed."