With Harry Maguire and Kyle Walker joining a long list of players who have withdrawn from ongoing international football activities, it might be time for the ruling body to address “meaningless” friendlies.

Players are playing too much, and if the Ruling Body doesn’t do anything about their plights, the players and their respective clubs will continue to feign injuries to ensure their players are not endangered ahead of crucial league games.

Bukayo Saka pulled out of England’s camp last week, joining Harry Kane and Sam Johnstone, with the Crystal Palace goalkeeper also reporting back to Selhurst Park with niggling hamstring issues. Walker was named captain in the friendly against Brazil but appeared to pull his hamstring while making a goal-line clearance.

"We don't know [how serious it is]," England manager Gareth Southgate told reporters after the game, which the Brazilians won 1-0. "He's not had many injuries, so he's not sure if it's just tightness or something more serious. We'll know more over the next few days."

Manchester City’s Rico Lewis and Burnley’s James Trafford have both been called up to replace Walker and Johnstone, respectively. Beyond England, players from Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and PSG are all exiting the friendly camps with important games coming up in the league.

Erling Haaland was quoted to have said Pep Guardiola warned him to ensure he doesn’t return to the Etihad with injury while Kevin De Bruyne pulled out of Belgium’s camp. You must ask at some points if the window is as necessary as it seems.

Apart from the Euro playoffs involving the likes of Ukraine, Greece, and Wales, other friendlies are just a ploy to wear down the players, and the players’ union must find a way to stop FIFA, UEFA, CAF, CONCACAF, and other continental bodies from turning the players into workhorses.