Clarke Carlisle believes he is “proof positive” that sufferers of depression can overcome any obstacle after new figures supported his claim that adverse mental health is prevalent within football.

The former Premier League defender was at the “edge of death” during a series of suicide attempts, which included being hit by a lorry in 2014, but now feels “the most well I’ve ever been”.

Data released by the Professional Footballers’ Association on Monday to coincide with World Mental Health Day revealed almost 10 per cent of top flight and EFL players surveyed last season had experienced ...