in a Paris bar, which he later apologised for. 1998–99 The 1998–99 season saw Collymore score just once in 19 appearances, as his issues off the field came to a head. In a match against Liverpool on 20 November 1998, Collymore was given a yellow card for a 9th minute tackle on defender Steve Harkness that caused the latter to be carried off the pitch and suffer ligament damage; Collymore was later shown a second yellow and sent off for another rash challenge on Michael Owen. Given his history with Harkness, Collymore was accused of holding a grudge and purposely trying to injure his former teammate; he denied the allegations. Shortly after this, he began to publicly struggle with his mental health, and was diagnosed with clinical depression, stress and anxiety in January 1999. Following this, he announced he would seek counselling and checked himself into the Priory Group Hospital in Roehampton, where he stayed for several weeks. He returned to the Villa side later in the season, but after a 3–0 loss to Chelsea on 21 March 1999, manager John Gregory dropped him from the first team for the rest of the season. This would go on to be his last appearance for Aston Villa. Fulham (1999) After a summer move to Greek side Panathinaikos failed to materialise, Collymore was sent out on a three month loan to Fulham at the start of the 1999–2000 season, with an option for the club to sign him for £1 million at the end. While he failed to make a major impact and was not signed, he did score the winner in a 2–1 League Cup win over West Bromwich Albion on 12 October 1999. Leicester (2000) 1999–2000 Collymore and Aston Villa mutually agreed to separate after he returned from his loan spell at Fulham, and he spent the rest of 1999 training with the youth team and looking for a new club. Ligue 1 outfit Montpellier HSC showed interest, but rescinded their offer after Collymore refused to play in a practice match before signing. Newly promoted Bradford City also tried and failed to sign him, put off by Villa's £3 million asking price. He eventually joined Leicester City for free on a pay-as-you-play basis on 11 February 2000. Just days after signing for the club, he made front page news during a team break in Spain, when he set off a