Manchester United star has now played more than 6,600 minutes for the season – and more to come

Add as preferred source on Google

Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes really needs a rest and his high number of minutes has been noted by FIFPro.

A new report from players union FIFPro has cited Bruno Fernandes in their concerns about player safety.

FIFPro are concerned about the excessive demands being placed on players, physically and mentally. The World Cup being added to this season’s schedule has also increased the workload.

The report stated there is a ‘dangerous level of fixture congestion’, claiming it is placing players’ futures at risk.

READ: Confirmed Manchester United transfers in, out, loans, releases, youth for 2023/24

Bruno Fernandes minutes

The report measured Bruno Fernandes in all competitions including club friendlies between July 1 and May 1. This saw him play 5,986 minutes.

Fernandes has since played a further seven games, taking his total minutes for the season to 6,606.

And there is more to come too. Portugal are set to play two friendlies over the upcoming international break.

Portugal face Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday and then Iceland the following Tuesday.

For the data collected by FIFPro, Fernandes had an average of 4.3 rest days between matches, below the union’s recommended average of five. In January, this fell to just 3.5.

Fernandes, 28, has taken on extra responsibility at Manchester United this season too, as captain, with Harry Maguire regularly omitted from the starting XI.

And despite the excessive minutes, Fernandes finished the season strongly, scoring in three of his last four matches.

Raphael Varane concerns

FIFPro also took a look at Raphael Varane as a player they were concerned for, with a case study looking at his past five consecutive seasons for club and country.

The study noted Varane has played more than 22,000 minutes since June 1 2018 in 248 games for club and country, frequently without sufficient rest.

Varane has suffered with various injuries over the past two seasons too and had a battle to get fit for last year’s World Cup.

The Manchester United defender has now retired from international football even though he is only 31.