Danny Drinkwater responds to troll who said he hit rock bottom after revealing his new job

Former Chelsea and Leicester midfielder Danny Drinkwater has hit out at a troll after posting a picture of himself on a construction site.

Drinkwater retired from football last October after leaving Reading at the end of the 2021/22 season.

The 34-year-old has since occupied his time working on other ventures, but his restaurant business went bankrupt in 2022.

His business fortunes were further dashed when a 70 per cent stake in a Manchester nightclub closed its doors last month.

Drinkwater is now working on a construction site and shared a photo of his new role on Instagram.

Sadly, the former England international was the victim of taunts from online trolls, with one in particular writing: “Fuck Danny, you've hit rock bottom.”

That prompted Drinkwater to respond, writing: “Some of these messages are behavioural.

“I love being in the workplace doing grafts! It's a choice.”

Drinkwater previously spoke of his battle with mental health as his career plummeted following a £35m move to Chelsea in 2017.

The midfielder played a key role in Leicester's miraculous title-winning campaign in 2016 and has earned a place in the England squad.

But things took a turn for the worse soon after arriving in west London as he struggled to regain the form he showed at the King Power Stadium.

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Loans at Burnley, Aston VillaTurkish side Kasimpasa and Reading followed before Drinkwater called time on his career after making just 23 appearances for the Blues in four years.

“It was the darkest I’ve ever felt,” Drinkwater said of his mental health struggles.

“I felt like I was drowning and had forgotten how to swim. Anyone who thinks that making good money will solve all their problems is completely wrong.

“Mental health is more important than physical health. It was the darkest I felt in my life.”

He explained his decision to retire on the High Performance Podcast, saying: “It may have been a long process, especially over the last year, but I think it’s time to officially announce it now.

“I think I’ve been in limbo for too long. I’ve wanted to play, but I haven’t had the opportunity to do so at a level where I feel valued. I’m happy not playing football, but I’m happy playing football, so should I just shake hands with the sport?”

“It’s all I’ve ever known. It’s been my life since I was six or seven. It was never going to be easy. If I was playing week in, week out and I had to stop, maybe because of injury or age, because I couldn’t move around the pitch the way I would like, I think it would be more difficult.”