A Dutch fitness specialist has claimed fatigue was the key reason behind the injury Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey suffered on international duty.
The Black Cats frontman signed off for the first international break of the season in spectacular fashion as he plundered his way to a hat-trick in a 5-3 defeat at Manchester City as he grabbed his first goals of the campaign in a memorable contest at the Etihad Stadium. Brobbey had hoped to take his form into the opening games of the Netherlands Nations League campaign as they faced Germany, Serbia and Greece over a hectic fortnight.
Brian Brobbey of the Netherlands reacts after picking up an injury against Germany (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)placeholder image
Brian Brobbey of the Netherlands reacts after picking up an injury against Germany (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images) | Getty Images
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However, Brobbey lasted just 34 minutes of a 1-1 draw with Germany after picking up a suspected hamstring injury and the Black Cats are awaiting news on the severity of the injury before assessing how long the former Ajax star could face on the sidelines. Fitness specialist Raymond Verheijen believes the hectic start to the season at club and international level has ensured Brobbey has become fatigued and questioned UEFA’s fixture schedule as players across the globe have been plunged into at least three international fixtures in a short period so early into the domestic season.
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As quoted by Dutch outlet Mee Met Oranje, Verheijen said: “Brobbey is a very explosive player. And he has the muscles of Usain Bolt, whereas less explosive players have the muscles of a marathon runner. To put it somewhat exaggeratedly. Brobbey needs 72 hours to recover from Manchester City [on September 20th]. If you train Brobbey hard on the days he needs recovery, then instead of shaking off the fatigue from Manchester City, he is only increasing that fatigue further.”
He continued: “You are going to play even more matches in a short period of time. Especially with UEFA’s current model, where you have to play again 72 hours later. You don’t play international matches during the season. The advantage of that is that club football is not interrupted, and players do not have to travel continuously and constantly switch between different training methods.”