Levi Colwill believes Albion players would close ranks and help him if he goes through any testing times this season.

The defender on loan from Chelsea has backed under-fire senior England stars.

And he has said solidarity in the changing room is key when times get tough.

Colwill is set to play for England under-21s against Germany at Bramall Lane this evening.

A 3-3 draw in the corresponding game last night eased some, but only some, of the criticism the seniors are facing.

Colwill said: “There is a line but people are always going to criticise anything you do in life.

“People outside the bubble don’t understand how much it can affect players. You can’t bite back, you’ve got to let your football do the talking.

“I had a good year last year – the only stick I got was from Forest fans after the play-off final – but every player at Brighton, I go to them with anything.

“They’ve all looked after me and given me so much advice. Everyone has helped me so much.”

Colwill appeared to suggest those who had not played at a high level struggled to understand the challenges faced by elite players in the spotlight.

He said: “Unless you are a footballer, unless you do what we do every day you shouldn’t be giving stick. People comment on your life, on and off the pitch, when they don’t live it. When you’re in the bubble, you focus on yourself and the team.

“It’s too easy to say just to blur it out because you go on your phone, turn on the radio – you hear it all. But you have to try and not let them take your confidence. They do make it feel like it’s you against the world.

“The senior team will all support each other, which is brilliant. They will be fine for the World Cup.

“For me, whatever people say won’t affect me. It might in the future but right now it won’t. They are not me, who are they to comment on how I’m playing or what I’m like?

“The only people who can really tell me is my family and coaches. If you cannot influence my life, why would I listen?”

Carl Rushworth, the Albion goalkeeper on loan at Lincoln, has been recalled to the England under-21 squad for tonight’s fixture.