Injury expert Ben Dinnery has warned that playing through fatigue will lead to injury after comments made by West Ham’s Declan Rice.
Last week the Hammers’ skipper spoke about playing an ‘obscene’ amount of games having played 68 times for club and country between June 2021 and June 2022.
The 23-year-old has already played 13 times for the east Londoners this season including featuring in every minute of the Premier League campaign.
While Rice has had a relatively clean bill of health since emerging as a key player at the London Stadium he has also played two full internationals for England in September and Dinnery has spoken out.
He told Football Insider:
“Injury history is a risk factor to consider.
“Fatigue is another one. That’s a massive, massive red flag.
“There are always exceptions to the rule. For the majority of players, playing too much football and having a high load week on week is a worry and a concern.
“These players are in the red zone. If you are increasing your exposure the likelihood is you’re going to pick up an injury.
“Exceptions to that are the Cristiano Ronaldos, the Lionel Messis, the Mo Salahs, the Heung-min Sons. Players that play a high amount of minutes and travel to the far-flung corners of the world during international breaks yet perform optimally week in, week out.
“Those players are probably freaks in terms of their performance output and what they can maintain consistently.
“For other players, particularly those players who are very dynamic, intense and explosive, those players that rely on the quick bursts of energy fatigue is a huge concern. We know those hamstring muscles are being put under a lot of stress.
“When you’re fatigued the likelihood of picking up an injury is increased significantly.”
TIF Thoughts on Rice and West Ham…
Will West Ham qualify for Europe this season?
Yes!
No!
As David Moyes’ highest-rated performer in the Premier League with 7.18 average match rating (SofaScore), the Scotsman can’t afford to be without his most valuable asset.
With the Hammers finally climbing the table following back-to-back wins they need to continue their momentum and an injury to Rice would be a huge setback.
However, with a commanding six-point lead at the top of their Europan Conference League group, the chance may arise for Moyes to rest the England international and even leave him in Stratford for the final fixture at FCSB.