Scotland's Ryan Porteous is determined to overcome one of the most challenging phases of his career following a painful Euro 2024 campaign that ended in just 45 minutes.
The Watford centre-back faced a disappointing tournament debut, receiving a red card for a reckless tackle on Ilkay Gundogan, which not only led to a two-match suspension but also contributed to Germany's early 3-0 lead in the opening match.
Porteous had been known for his tough on-field persona growing up within Scottish football and at 25, that attribute obviously hasn't left him.
“I have trained myself quite well to deal with that a long time ago," he explained when asked how he manages to block out the mass criticism that comes his way.
“I have trained myself not to look at that.
“That’s probably been the biggest asset to myself. If I was to give advice to young players coming through, (it would be) not to look at your phone, not to look at social media. It can only benefit you.”
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Porteous isn't afraid to confess that the dismissal at the Allianz Arena left him in a tricky situation.
But with almost six weeks since that very night, the dark clouds appear to have shift and his focus is on helping Watford gain promotion from the English Championship this season.
“It was obviously really tough, probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through personally," the former Hibernian defender admitted.
“When we were away at the Euros, you couldn’t really think of yourself that much because you still have a pretty big job to do for the team in and around the place.
“You can’t be sulking, you can’t be feeling sorry for yourself, you have got to help the boys and I tried to do that the best I could. But obviously when you leave the camp it hits you. But I’ve got a lot of good people around me and they looked after me well.
“I feel like I am in a lot better place now, but it was really tough.”
Reflecting specifically on how he's managed to try overcome such a setback, Porteous told Sky Sports: “It’s hard to excuse anything, but at the same time it’s just gutting. It was gutting for myself, for everyone that was there supporting me and the fans as well.
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“It’s another experience I have got to learn from. I wanted to come straight back to Watford right away and get back to work, because you are not going to feel better by sulking and feeling sorry for yourself, you are going to get better by reacting.
“I think I have shown I can bounce back from adversity a lot before and I am backing myself to do the same again.”
