Alan Shearer blasted Virgil van Dijk‘s moans about fixture congestion as ‘nonsense’ after the Liverpool captain complained over the amount of games modern players have to contend with.
The Dutchman expressed concern over a packed fixture schedule while away on international duty with the Netherlands before the return of Premier League football at the weekend.
Liverpool played 51 matches across all competitions last season as they featured in the English top-flight, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup, however failed to lift silverware in any of them.
They face an even greater workload this season if they manage to go deeper into domestic and European competitions, and Van Dijk is concerned that players are compromising their health to entertain.
However, the 32-year-old centre-back doesn’t believe players should have to take a wage cut if matches were cut from the schedule.
Virgil van Dijk believes players in England are being overworked due to a packed fixture schedule
England and Newcastle legend, Shearer, blasted Van Dijk’s complaints as ‘nonsense’
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‘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,’ he said last week.
‘We as players should start saying something about it, contribute to a solution. No, I am not prepared to give up 10 percent [of his salary]. I don’t think that should depend on my salary.
‘You are now trying to get me to say something nice. The Nations League that comes with it, for example, does not go to my salary. We get bonuses, but that is not a guarantee.’
However, it’s safe to say Newcastle and England legend, Shearer, doesn’t share the same view as the Liverpool icon who isn’t the first player to echo such concerns.
Shearer played 699 club matches across his established career at a time when facilities and technology weren’t up to the same standard as the present day boasts.
Van Dijk doesn’t believe players should have to sacrifice part of their salary to play less games
Shearer believes players in the modern game have access to better services than he did during his career
Replying to Van Dijk’s complaints, Shearer explained he doesn’t agree with the suggestion that players in England are overworked.
‘Nonsense. Nonsense. Players are playing too much football? What? I mean come on,’ Shearer told The Rest Is Football podcast when questioned about Van Dijk’s comments.
‘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. 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.’
