Chelsea defender Reece James has shown his class in a kind gesture to a young player who has been forced out of the game ahead of his time.
Peterborough United youngster Bobby Copping had to retire from football recently after suffering from a 'freak accident' during training last summer.
Copping headed the ball and suffered a mini-seizure, losing sight and going numb down one side of the body, spending four days in hospital off the back of the incident.
The 19-year-old had hoped to return to playing but during his comeback game, he suffered a similar instance, forcing him to retire from the game for good.
"That's what makes it scary is how quick things can change because I was absolutely flying, playing really well, doing everything I could to be the best I can and then I headed a ball and my career is finished," he told BBC Sport.
He added: "I'm still suffering with the symptoms now on a day-to-day basis.
"I have memory problems and being a young lad that's quite worrying but hopefully that will get better over time. I can't be a passenger in a car because I get really bad sickness and just general headaches, and when I get them, I have to sleep them off."
Off the back of Copping's retirement, players have been reaching out to extend their support, and Chelsea defender James has done just that.
The young full-back reached out to Copping on Twitter to say: "We're all with you, brother. Everything happens for a reason." The Chelsea star went on to ask for Copping's number to schedule a phone call.
Copping posted a screenshot of the conversation on Instagram and said: "Nice to have a chat with Reece James. Blown away once again by the support. Thank you."
Peterborough have helped Copping stay in the game by giving him a business operations role at the club.
