Oxford United's former psychotherapist Gary Bloom has said Dele Alli's sleeping pill addiction is "widespread" in the sport.

The Everton midfielder came out with his struggles in an interview with Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville on Thursday, where the former England international also spoke of suffering sexual abuse as a child before his adoption at age 12.

He also revealed he had undergone a six-week stint in rehab to battle his problems.

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Speaking to BBC World Service, Mr Bloom said: “Players are pretty wired during games because they want to give themselves a legal buzz for when they are playing - but then they cannot get to sleep at night.

"Addiction to sleeping tablets is widespread, much more than people realise.

"There is also widespread use of caffeine stimulants for matches."

Mr Bloom, who recently left the U's after five years at the League One side, told the BBC that football clubs need to do more for players experiencing off-field issues.

Oxford Mail: Gary Bloom pictured when he was at Oxford UnitedGary Bloom pictured when he was at Oxford United

This includes employing psychotherapists who the players can easily turn to.

Alli is the most recent player to suggest it is a common problem among other players.

Sleep expert James Wilson agrees with Mr Bloom that it is a concern as the pills are counter-productive for good sleep.

He said: "You hear stories from players and members of staff that say, ‘You should go and work with this club because every single first-team player is taking sleeping pills every single night'. 

“They are not generally good for your sleep, and they are not good for recovery so that is why they are not a good idea in football.

"The fact they are addictive is the cherry on the cake in saying why we should not be using sleeping pills, especially as a first line of defence."

“In society in general we don’t understand the use of sleeping pills. The use is more rife in football because the job itself contributes to poor sleep, the night after a midweek game in particular footballers find it harder to sleep.

“There are two issues, one is which Dele has highlighted is that they can be addictive, depending on what type of pill it is."

Wilson attributes no blame to club doctors for prescribing sleeping pills, citing a lack of training, and says more education is needed across football.

The Everton midfielder is the latest player to suggest it is a common problem in the game after former Football League defender Ryan Cresswell opened up on his troubles last year.