'It will go down in history': Gary Neville commends Blackpool's Jake Daniels for coming out as gay

The Blackpool FC footballer has publicly revealed he’s gay - becoming the only openly gay male professional in Britain.

The 17-year-old made the announcement in a Sky Sports interview this evening, having already informed club officials.

Daniels becomes only the second current male player in world football to come out as gay, following in the footsteps of Josh Cavallo, of Australian side Adelaide United.

Other former players, including former Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, came out when their careers had ended.

The only prominent male English footballer to previously reveal they were gay was Justin Fashanu, in 1990.

Discussing the courageous interview before Monday Night Football, pundit and former Manchester United and England defender Neville, who also co-owns League Two side Salford City, said: “What he’s done tonight takes great courage.

“We’ve both been in dressing rooms for many, many years and this would seem like the unthinkable. I can’t imagine how difficult it’s been.

“It’s a day of great importance for obviously Jake and his family but also for English football and it will go down in history.

“It’s a big, big moment this.”

When presenter David Jones asked Jamie Carragher about the role Blackpool played in this announcement, the former Liverpool man chose to highlight head coach Neil Critchley.

“I know the manager there, I had a relationship with him at Liverpool,” he said.

“He will be a huge support mechanism in that role for Jake and that’s what he’ll need going forward because it looks like he’s got real talent and we hope he does really well.

“It’s not just about Jake, it’s about the football club as well and their role within it which can be an example for other clubs if other players come out in future.”

Neville added: “The game has not dealt with this issue well at all.

“We know it’s something that is acceptable from a fans’ point of view, but it’s not yet gone into the dressing room because that dressing room can be an evil place, it really can.

“You’re talking about a 16, 17 year old lad coming out of school into a dressing room full of ego-driven, strong characters.

“But the way Jake spoke, it was incredible in any circumstances, to see any 17-year-old speak like that on television is incredible. But to see him speak about this subject is absolutely wonderful.

“We saw that interview come through 20 minutes ago and I was absolutely astonished how mature and composed he was all the way through it.

“Jake himself has said he would have announced it by now if he wasn’t a football player, so it’s football that’s holding Jake back. It’s not Jake himself.

“He was incredibly honest about feeling these feelings at five years old but he’s never felt comfortable speaking about them until now because of football. That’s not right.”

Daniels made his first-team debut for the Seasiders earlier this month, coming off the bench during the final day defeat to Peterborough United.

The Bispham-born forward, who scored 30 goals for the Under-19 side this season, signed professional terms with the club in February.