10 November 2023 , 07:00
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Delays caused by video assistant referee checks could be contributing to the spike in muscle injuries across the Premier League, the PFA’s chief executive has claimed.
Maheta Molango, head of the players’ union, believes players are at an increased risk because they are cooling down during lengthy stoppages in play.
His comments came after Tottenham centre back Micky van de Ven pulled up minutes after a seven-minute stoppage with the VAR evaluating three separate incidents.
“Intuitively I would say yes — that the stoppages like we saw on Monday will lead to injuries because players cooled down and then have to sprint straight away,” Molango said. “Player welfare should be a big issue. But we are killing the product at the moment and that should be everybody’s biggest fear.
“I would prefer to speak about facts and figures and clear evidence rather than just a feeling. One of our ideas is to create a group of experts who can provide data so we know for sure. So that will be physios, coaches and doctors who can look at everything on the performance side.”
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More than 30 players will be missing from this weekend’s set of fixtures because of hamstring injuries alone. Medical studies indicate that the muscle group now makes up a quarter of all injuries, compared to about 11% a little more than a decade ago.
Players and officials also believe the huge increase in added time is contributing to the spike. That decision has previously been criticised by stars including Kevin De Bruyne, who has been sidelined with a recurring hamstring injury since the opening match of the Premier League season.
Molango previously said the additional time is “unsustainable” and a sign that football is “sleepwalking into a disaster.” The decision was made by the game's lawmakers Ifab and some referees have privately raised concerns, according to sources.
That the game is played at a higher intensity than ever with elite players expected to fulfil an increasingly packed schedule are other contributory factors, in addition to tactical tweaks requiring more sprints.
"The intensity of elite men's football has increased," a 2021 paper in the British Journal of Sports Medicine reported. "Professional players now undertake more high-intensity activities per match than they did previously and they also run faster than their predecessors."
Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus, Manchester United midfielder Casemiro and Chelsea left back Ben Chilwell are some of the others currently receiving treatment for hamstring injuries.