The Premier League may have just returned from a three-week break, but for many of its stars there was no rest at all. Of all the Premier League players called up by their countries, 25 played the full 360 minutes of four games during the extended international break. These included 13 players who featured for their clubs at the World Cup, such as Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, who also played 55 games for his club last season.
Van Dijk is one of several players, including England's Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers and Harry Kane, who played more than 4,000 minutes in all competitions in 2025-26 and have started on a similar trajectory this season. According to expert sports scientists and psychologists, this cannot be maintained. "It is not sustainable," said Dr Dave Richardson, head of psychology, sports science and wellbeing at the University of Lincoln. "We will start to see more clamour when we are not happy with the quality of performances; the public pay to see high quality."
The impact of the hectic schedule is already visible. Five players, including Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Rice, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento, pulled out of the England squad before the latest international window. Germany's Kai Havertz and France captain Kylian Mbappe also withdrew from the recent international break.
PFA chief executive Maheta Molango said the withdrawals were emblematic of a "sick" system. He wants a mandatory three-week summer break and a three-week "retraining" period every summer. Dr Richardson said that will be impossible in the current fractured system, as there is no single body overseeing the playing schedule. Dr Chris James of Cardiff University said men's football is failing in its duty of care towards players, adding that there is a culture where players feel they must look like they are coping.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing