Roberto Martinez: 'Everyone at Everton supports Thomas Hitzlsperger'

Everton manager Roberto Martinez has insisted that everyone at the Merseyside outfit supports retired footballer Thomas Hitzlsperger after he revealed that he is gay.

The 31-year-old came out via a German interview on Wednesday, stating that he felt it was a "good time" for him to go public with his sexuality.

"As a footballer and a human being, you want to be happy," Martinez said in a press conference. "We back Thomas in the statement that he has made. You need to be yourself and we back him.

"Work in general, when you are competing, there is the professional then the human being. In some work places it is harder. It is not just in football."

The former midfielder spent one season at Everton before hanging up his boots in September last year.