"It's impossible to sleep. I've been in football management for 40 years and it's been by far the most difficult week in my career, by an absolute mile.

"It's been a traumatic week and even now I can't get my head around the situation.

"It's probably hit me me harder than anyone else as I've met the lad and talked to him for the last six to eight weeks."

Warnock revealed that the League Managers' Association had offered him support and that several Cardiff players had spoken to psychologists in the wake of Sala's disappearance.

Asked whether he had sought help, Warnock said: "You have to in this instance. Who motivates the motivator?

"I am OK when I'm in the public eye or with the players, it's when I'm at I'm on my own or at home that you think about it.

"It'a probably the lads you don't expect that needed more help. But I don't think it does any harm to talk to anyone else. It's been noticeable that three of four lads have been really poor."

Warnock said he backed the Sala family's determination for the search to be resumed, with more than £290,000 raised through gofundme donations.

"I quite understand (sister) Romina's stance," Warnock said.

"If it was my kid, I'd want everybody looking at it forever. It's such a strange situation, everybody is hoping like the family.

"Football is important, relegation and things are important, but in the context of life, it just opens everybody's eyes, whether you are involved with Cardiff or any of the families."

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