Joe Aribo's season finally finished on Monday when he didn’t get off the bench as Nigeria smashed Sao Tome and Principe 10-0 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
But the 70 games he clocked up for Rangers and his country made the midfielder the planet’s most used top-level footballer.
Now one of the world’s foremost sports performance consultants has expressed concern Aribo could face mental and physical exhaustion if he faces another campaign with such a heavy workload.
Florida-based Allistair McCaw, a close friend of former Ibrox first-team coach Michael Beale, spent three days at the Rangers Training Centre working with players and staff when Steven Gerrard was manager.
And he believes Aribo will have to be managed very carefully in the months ahead.
The former Charlton star turned out for Rangers 57 times, including in 17 of the club’s 19 Europa League appearances, which culminated in him scoring against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Seville showpiece.
He also clocked up 13 outings for his country, including at the Africa Cup of Nations in January.
His excellent early-season form dipped upon his return from Algeria before picking up again as the campaign hurtled towards its conclusion.
South African-born McCaw – who works with some of the world’s leading teams including Paris St-Germain as well as top individual sports stars – wasn’t surprised to learn that, believing travelling can take its toll as much as physical activity.
On hearing Aribo had completed 70 games in a season – his tally was matched on Monday by Guatemalan international Stheven Robles but the Rangers and Nigeria player spent more overall minutes on the pitch – McCaw said: “Wow, that’s a lot of games.
“If my maths is correct, that’s one game every five days, which is insane.
“Not just physically but mentally, that’s incredibly tough to be ready time after time to perform at an elite level in any sport, not just football.
“It’s also quite incredible he hasn’t suffered any injuries I know of in that period, so he must be in great shape.”
Liverpool fan McCaw believes his team’s chances of completing the Quadruple were hampered by the number of matches Jurgen Klopp’s players have notched up over the past few seasons.
And he is concerned the heavy workload placed on Aribo this term may have a similar effect on him if he is not looked after properly.
McCaw is adamant Aribo will need to be given a longer rest than most of his team-mates now that he can finally put his feet up.
He said: “As a top athlete, that schedule must eventually catch up with you and you eventually pay for it.
“It might not be this season but you eventually pay for it in the seasons to follow.
“Physically and mentally, that kind of intense activity is tough on an athlete, regardless of what sport you’re playing.
“You have to take all sorts of factors into account in terms of things like travelling – which he’ll have done a lot of with his club and country – and time zones.
“All these things add up and that’s a heck of a lot of matches. If you look at England, Mo Salah has played a hell of a lot of matches this season, Virgil van Dijk as well, and you could see by the end of the season Liverpool’s players were tired. So it does have an effect.
“In England, they can now make five substitutions during a match and that helps.
“If Scotland has the same system, it’s vital the coaches use it to best effect.
“That can make a big difference if you can take your key players, your star players, off if you are winning to give them a little bit of respite.
“But the number of matches he’s played is tough and if he has continued to perform at a high level, he’s done well because that’s incredibly difficult.”
Having visited the Rangers Training Centre at the invitation of Beale – who left Gerrard at Aston Villa to take up his first managerial role at QPR in the Championship last week – McCaw does believe Aribo will be looked after by some of the most capable hands in the business.
He said: “They have a fantastic sports science group at Rangers.
“But regardless, it’s still a lot of matches and it’s heavy on the body, physically and mentally.
“I wouldn’t say I admire him being able to play that number of games because it can lead to burnout and that applies to any sport. It’s a lot of games in a season and hopefully he is allowed an extended recovery in the off-season.
“I know most pre-seasons are starting pretty soon. Hopefully Joe will get an extended break from Rangers.
“One thing I do know, though, having been at the club, is they have a fantastic team of sports scientists and trainers there. So that will be a big help.”
