Deborah added her daughter was “relieved but surprised” at being offered a full-time contract to play for Sheffield United in June 2023.

The inquest heard Maddy was “anxious” about how she would split the roles – with her combined salary being less than it was previously.

Deborah said the contract process was “shambolic”.

She added players who were sidelined by Morgan would send text messages between them to “get them through” it.

“They were sidelined but they were together,” Deborah said.

“She referred to them being in prison, on parole when playing and Morgan was the prison warden.”

Deborah said she took her daughter to her GP, but added Maddy was concerned about being signed off work for mental health issues, and feared being stigmatised. She was signed off as being “generally unwell”.

The club’s doctor, Dr Subhashis Basu, told the inquest on Thursday that Maddy’s medical records from her time at United had been lost.

Asked by assistant coroner Sophie Cartwright KC why he did not bring this to the attention of the coronial investigation, Basu said: “If that question had been asked to me directly, I would have done.”

Dean Armstrong KC, representing the Cusack family, asked Dr Basu why he did not go to United’s data protection officer about the data loss.

He said: “My view was to contact the medical records company first to try and address the problem. I believe I did raise it.”

He later added: “I was slow to report that. I did raise it eventually.”

The inquest continues.