Manchester United's players began to look weary at the business end of the season, with a gruelling schedule finally taking its toll.
The 2022/23 Premier League campaign began earlier and finished later than usual to accommodate the winter World Cup in Qatar and Erik ten Hag wasn't afraid to regularly point out just how absurd and demanding the fixture list had become.
United took part in four different competitions and they reached the final of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, meaning by the end of their season, they had played 62 games, which was 13 more fixtures than had been played in 2021/22.
To their credit, the players competed twice a week for the majority of the calendar year and the final whistle in the FA Cup final at Wembley on June 3 signalled the end of a mentally and physically challenging few months.
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Ten Hag wants his team to play on the front foot, with energy and intensity and the difficulty of maintaining those levels when playing twice per week, especially when sometimes just training once ahead of a fixture, should not be underestimated.
After the FA Cup defeat, Ten Hag debriefed at Carrington and the players jetted off around the world for a deserved break. They had been on the go since August 6 and the opportunity to recharge with family and friends was welcomed.
The problem is, the chance for a break lasted just eight days for those who represent their country. There are international fixtures this month and England have Euro 2024 qualifying matches to play.
England have games against Malta and North Macedonia this month and Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford have been called up to the squad, fresh on the back of the FA Cup final. Do they not deserve a chance to recover?
Whoever thought it was a good idea to organise international games a week after the end of the longest season on record needs a psychiatric evaluation. FIFA have a duty of care to players and they're currently letting them down.
United have 18 players reporting for international duty when they should be on holiday. The decision to play a round of international fixtures so soon after the end of a relentless season is simply ludicrous, yet sadly rather predictable.
For some time now, player welfare has been an afterthought and research has shown congested calendars in football are increasing the risk of injury, something which Ten Hag highlighted in press conferences throughout the season.
Evidence shows that around 40 per cent of professional footballers believe they play too many games per season with more than half (55 per cent) claiming that at least one injury was caused by an overloaded schedule, concerns which are backed up by data.
The football authorities are asking too much of players and it seems a miracle that someone like Bruno Fernandes, who has played the most games from any club in Europe this season, has been able to maintain a clean bill of health.
Fernandes played 59 matches for United and made nine appearances for Portugal this season, meaning he played in a total of 68 games. He recorded 5,897 minutes on the pitch and that's over 1,000 more than anyone else in Europe.
The midfielder genuinely deserves immense credit for his robustness in challenging circumstances, but the authorities are leaving him at risk. They are stretching the elastic band too wide and it's only a matter of time before it snaps.
Some will argue it's hard to empathise with players who are compensated handsomely with multi-million-pound wages, but the product on the pitch is bound to suffer when the schedule is congested.
England play North Macedonia on June 19 and United's players will get a chance for another short break before reporting for pre-season, with the first friendly game of the summer pencilled in on July 12 against Leeds in Oslo, Norway.
The football has been relentless and something needs to change.
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