Ian Wright looks dejected in podcast appearance as Steph Houghton leaps to his defence in Eni Aluko row

DEJECTED Ian Wright opened up on his “tough week” before Steph Houghton backed him over her ex-England teammate Eni Aluko.

Former Chelsea star Aluko sparked a backlash when she claimed that Arsenal legend Wright was “blocking opportunities” in women’s football.

Dejected Ian Wright opened up over his ‘tough week’ following a row with Eni Aluko

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Steph Houghton publicly backed Wright over her ex-England team-mate Aluko[/caption]

After receiving major criticism for her comments, Aluko backtracked before apologising to Wright – who is widely regarded as a major advocate of the women’s game even before its recent surge in popularity.

The fan favourite refused to accept Aluko’s apology, instead insisting it’s time to “move on.”

Aluko has since stepped down from hosting duties at the Women’s Football Awards.

And now Wright has been publicly backed by England women’s hero Houghton.

The duo host a podcast together on YouTube called Crossways, which discusses all aspects of women’s football.

Opening up on the difficult period, a deflated Wright said: “It’s been a bit of an up-and-down week. But at the end of the day, it’s all sorted.

“It’s always good to see you Steph, because you make me smile. It’s been quite a tough week.”

This saw Houghton, who played alongside Aluko for the Three Lions, take a public stance by backing Wright and thanking him for supporting women’s football.

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She said: “Ian, can I just say this, and this has not been pre-empted, I think I posted on Instagram.

“What you have done for our game is unbelievable and you’ve got to take all the credit that everybody’s thrown at you this week because you are a super hero.

Houghton showed her support as she hosted the Crossways podcast with Wright

Aluko received a major backlash for her comments on Wright’s status in women’s footballPA

“And I love working with you.”

This saw Wright beam with delight as he replied: “I love you Steph. To see you come out publicly like that for me is just nice.

“But I just wish, it’s not about the individual in the women’s game, it’s just about the collective.

“I’m not going to go into it but I just really appreciate the public support that I got.”