A week after Rodri warned of strike action over increasing workload, the Manchester City midfielder is facing a long injury layoff — a cruel twist of fate that has further fueled the debate around player well-being amid an intense schedule.
Former players and managers such as Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher, Pep Guardiola and Erik ten Hag also recently joined the growing chorus calling for change.
The power of players to do anything about it is being eroded, said Mark O'Sullivan, associate professor of football at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences.
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