Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag says injuries to top players are an inevitable consequence of football's expanded schedule.
Rejigged European competitions and next summer’s new-look Club World Cup have raised concerns within the game about the toll on players.
Manchester City's Rodri spoke out on the issue last week and then suffered a serious knee injury in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal on Sunday. Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has also complained about burnout, while players' union Fifpro has long warned the situation will at some point become untenable.
United, who this week unveiled further plans for redeveloping their Old Trafford home, get their first taste of the expanded 2024/25 Europa League when they host one of Ten Hag's former clubs FC Twente on Wednesday night (11pm UAE time).
The new group phase includes two extra games, while 24 of the 36 teams will now progress to the knockout rounds.
“The format I think we have to take this experience and then judge,” Ten Hag said. “But one thing is for sure, I think every match is significant and probably every goal is significant.
“First you get a split after January when the first eight teams qualify (directly to the last 16) and that can help you in February to continue.
“But when you are in the first 24 you can win this competition, so there’s always an option to win it. The second part of it we discuss so many times. There are too many games. It’s clear. Too many competitions.
“For the top players, they are overloaded and this is not good for football. At the end of the day it’s maybe good for commercial but there is a limit.
“It’s almost unavoidable that players get injured because of the overload from so many games.”
Asked what can be done to alter this, Ten Hag said: “I think as a club alone you can’t change this. It’s more about the total industry.
“It’s about clubs, players and coaches, so many others who are there in football who have to work to improve the game and find the right balance.
“At the end of the day, it’s financial. Also we are professional, so revenues have to come, but we have to balance this out.”
Moroccan full-back Noussair Mazraoui, who arrived at Old Trafford from Bayern Munich in the summer, spoke separately to his manager but expressed similar views about the impact of the schedules.
“There are competition games, cup games, internationals, European Championships, World Cups,” the Morocco international said.
“So, if you are poised and prepared you may be playing up to 70 games in a season, which of course isn’t for everyone.
“It’s likely in most clubs that there will only be one or two players who make it through that season without injuries at all.”
United head into the Twente encounter having failed to take their chances in Saturday’s 0-0 stalemate at Crystal Palace. That draw followed a 3-0 win at Southampton and 7-0 Carabao Cup defeat of Barnsley.
Ten Hag says that winning the Europa League is another avenue for their main "target" of taking the club back into the Champions League next season.
"An opportunity and more roads to achieve the target you want," said the United boss.
"It is the most difficult [pathway to the Champions League], probably. In a tournament of 32 you have to be the best. It is a target and a road we want to go.
"As you know we want to win all the competitions we take part in, but we have to go game by game."
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
Women%E2%80%99s%20T20%20World%20Cup%20Qualifier
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Zayed Sustainability Prize
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Match info
Uefa Nations League A Group 4
England 2 (Lingard 78', Kane 85')
Croatia 1 (Kramaric 57')
Man of the match: Harry Kane (England)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
