Manchester United manager Casey Stoney has arranged for a well-being and social media specialist to visit the club to help her players cope with abuse on the platforms.

Criticism on social media has increased for the players due to the popularity of the women's game in recent months.

While the manager welcomed criticisim from fans, she did say that it was a 'big wake-up call' for the players. 

A few months ago Keira Walsh, who plays for Manchester City and England, said she contemplated quitting football due to the criticism she received after the World Cup.

Stoney told The Telegraph: “You’re going to get the same judgement [as male players]. The difference is the male players are used to it. The women’s game isn’t used to it and it’s a big wake-up call for a lot of them because they read it.

“We’ve had social-media training several times. We’ve brought in someone to talk to them about it. We’ve also got an external well-being coach who’s in every single day with our first team and academy and works with our staff. We have one-to-ones with our players every six weeks. We know that there are pressures inside and outside of football. 

“Social media is the best and worst thing that could have happened because they cannot get away from it. I choose to get away from it because I don’t read it – but telling an 18, 19, 20-year-old that, when their entire worth, value, is how many likes they get, how many people follow them… For young people today, that’s where their worth is, and that’s a little bit frightening.”