Wishing Bukayo Saka a swift recovery. And wishing Fifa and Uefa would wake up to PFA and Fifpro warnings over player workload. Saka’s played 144 games for Arsenal and England since August 2022, often the full 90 minutes and frequently at high intensity. Something was always going to give. Saka’s hamstring has now given way and he will be out for ‘many weeks’, Mikel Arteta says. Frustrating for player, club and country. Players are very well-paid, and get the best medical care, but they remain flesh and blood, bone and soft tissue. The intense season with more and more fixtures, and with no winter break, means thoroughbred players will continue to go lame. We wouldn’t treat racehorses like this.