Relentless Celtic skipper Callum McGregor has been cited in a new report raising the alarm over an increasingly punishing workload for elite footballers.
Data gathered over three years by global players' union FIFPRO lays bare the exhausting schedules being foisted upon players.
And McGregor, who rarely misses a minute for club or country, features among a select group of only 13 players who featured in 55 games or more across the 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns.
Scotland captain Andy Robertson also features among the iron-man group in two of the three seasons studied.
FIFPRO have publicised the report with a call to action, revealing a survey of 1055 players, managers and sport science experts revealed 84 per cent support for change.
They backed new measures such as guaranteeing a minimum length post-season break and limiting repeated back to back matches throughout the season.
A FIFPRO statement said: “FIFPRO survey results released today show professional footballers are clearly in favour of new regulations to address the increasing match congestion and travel burden at the top of the game.
“The survey of 1,055 players and 92 performance experts shows both groups support new measures that would guarantee a minimum-length offseason break and limit repeated back-to-back games. Only 26 per cent of players want to maintain international windows as they are.
“Meanwhile, 82 per cent of the performance experts, half of whom have national team experience, said they have witnessed overload causing players mental health and lifestyle issues.”
The elite level calendar is set to be expanded further next season with additional Champions League group stage matches and the World Cup being scheduled for December.
McGregor himself will be involved in the Champions League for Celtic and could well head for Qatar, too, should Scotland progress through the play-offs.
