PFA chief Maheta Molango has warned that the World Cup could become a survival of the fittest, and that strong performance in the summer tournament could be to the detriment of a player’s long-term career.
He has referenced what has happened to Phil Foden, two years after he won a host of individual awards with Manchester City, including PFA Player of the Year.
Instead of kicking on from that a series of injuries, and a loss of form ensued, as he did not make Thomas Tuchel’s England World Cup squad. Similarly Cole Palmer, whom many expected to be integral to Tuchel’s plans also missed out.
Part of the Chelsea team that won the Club World Cup last summer, Cole struggled through much of the season that followed.
The world’s players’ organisation Fifpro claims that players are increasingly unable to cope with elite competitive seasons without suffering injuries or a major drop in performance levels.
And the organisation has also sent a warning to Liverpool and Arsenal fans that both Virgil van Dijk and Declan Rice could be storing up trouble. Van Dijk featured in all 38 of Liverpool’s Premier League games in the season just completed, and Rice missed just two of them.
Both are set to feature for their countries in the World Cup which has been expanded to 48 teams for the first time.