Ben Dinnery

Thu 16 June 2022 11:53, UK

Man United are almost certainly monitoring the likes of Harry Maguire’s stress hormone levels to ensure he can cope with the mental pressure of an exhausting football calendar.

That is the view of injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.

Maguire, 29, is one of six England players to have spent over half the season in the critical zone, according to The Telegraph last Friday (10 June).

This means the United skipper played the majority of 2021-22 without a five-day gap between minimum 45-minute appearances, thus increasing injury susceptibility.

The centre-back also played all four matches of England’s disastrous recent Nations League quadruple-header, with three of those coming as a starter.

Dinnery argues that the Red Devils’ backroom team will be keeping tabs on Maguire’s condition for signs of physical and mental fatigue.

“The Nations League has been shoehorned in as a little bit of an afterthought,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.

“Four games is a lot. We have some clubs returning for pre-season within two or three weeks. That isn’t ideal in terms of players being able to switch off and recalibrate. It has been a long few years with everything that has gone on.

“With half the season being in the critical zone, should they be concerned? It depends on how you interpret the data.

“Internally, clubs will be managing stress hormone levels and aware of players that are at risk of going into the red zone. Whether that’s through tests or conversations with the sports science team and club doctors.

“Why do we see very little change to the calendar? It’s all about the money. Everyone’s working towards their own agenda. I don’t see any major changes around scheduling any time soon.”

Maguire played 37 times in all competitions in 2021-22.

United’s pre-season begins on 12 July.

In other news, Man United told to sign £26million Aaron Wan-Bissaka replacement