London

Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer has slammed Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk for his comments that modern footballers were playing far too many games. Shearer called Van Dijk's comments 'nonsense', adding that players were well compensated for them to be complaining about the workload. 

Advertisment

"Nonsense. Nonsense. Players are playing too much football? What? I mean come on. I know you should never mention the money, but you've got bigger squads than ever, more substitutes than ever, getting paid more money than ever, you've got the best physios, the best technology, the best of everything," said Shearer. 

"Do me a favour, playing too much football? F***ing hell. Didn't he say it was England that play too much football? International football I get and understand. We all know why they're doing it, they're doing it for financial reasons. But here in England, you can tell I don't really agree with that."

Also read | Jordan Henderson doesn't understand why he was booed by English fans

Advertisment

What did the Dutch player say?

The Netherlands captain last week expressed concerns about the increasing workload the players were facing whilst adding that he was not interested in giving up any pay in order to see games slashed from the schedule. 

“In England, we believe the schedules are too busy. The players are getting paid well but it should never come at the cost of our health. We keep having to play more and more games," said Van Dijk. 

Advertisment

"We should start saying something about it, contribute to a solution. No, I am not prepared to give up 10 per cent [of his salary]. I don’t think that should depend on my salary." 

Apart from Van Dijk, France international Raphael Varane also spoke up about the congested fixtures list recently and slammed authorities for ignoring player concerns.

“From the managers and players, we have shared our concerns for many years now that there are too many games, the schedule is overcrowded, and it’s at a dangerous level for players physical and mental wellbeing,” Varane said on X, formerly known as Twitter, after Premier League decided to add the exact time lost in goal celebrations, substitutions or injuries to the stoppage time. 

“Despite our previous feedbacks, they have now recommended for next season: longer games, more intensity, and less emotions to be shown by players,” the World Cup winner said.

While Shearer has a point, the likes of Van Dijk, Varane and other top footballers are forced to play over 60 games a season if their team goes the distance in all tournaments. With football requiring much greater intensity compared to Shearer's playing days, the frequency of injuries has also gone up substantially, despite modern medical science working wonders. 

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE: