Sports injuries: Northampton surgeon warns football fixture congestion is 'recipe for problems'

Mr Ribbans said he has many worries about the injury risk to elite athletes

Fixture congestion, medicines abuse and short recovery times are a "recipe" for athlete injuries, a surgeon warned.

Northampton-based Prof Bill Ribbans has operated on Michael Schumacher, Paula Radcliffe and England rugby players.

In football, three Premier League managers have complained about player injury and burnout in recent days.

Prof Ribbans warned about anti-inflammatory drugs and said "pushing players back before they're ready" was "setting them up for the next hit".

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola have expressed frustration, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer expressed criticism of match timings, despite Manchester United's 3-1 win at Everton.

The winter break was scrapped for this season because of fixture congestion resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The decision to increase the number of substitutions allowed in a fixture from three to five was made to protect players from potential injuries when play resumed after the shutdown. However, in August, Premier League clubs voted against continuing the rule.

Mr Ribbans operated on Michael Schumacher after he broke his leg during the 1999 British Grand Prix at Silverstone

Mr Ribbans is a consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon in Northampton and acts as chief medical officer to Northamptonshire County Cricket Club.

He said: "Around the country there have been coaches who worry me, pushing players back before they're ready and I think this is a particular problem now with the enormous fixture congestion we're going to have going forward.

"We are making them so fit and so strong and our ability to patch them up and put them back on the playing field is something that we're just basically setting them up for the next hit, the next injury, when, 40 years ago they would have retired with a particular injury."

He also called for players and coaches to be educated about the risks of using anti-inflammatory drugs, which he said should be used "very carefully, sparingly and for the right reasons".

"It's a recipe for hamstring injuries, knee problems, back problems. It's a worry," he said.

The English Football Association, Premier League and Rugby England have been approached for comment by the BBC.

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