PFA chief defends Cole Palmer after England withdrawal as he hits out at ‘sick’ schedule | OneFootball

The recent withdrawal of Cole Palmer from the England squad is the product of a "sick" system that is placing unreasonable demands on top players, according to Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango.

Palmer is one of five injured players who have pulled out of Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the upcoming Nations League matches, a trend Molango insists is reflected across Europe due to an unsustainable workload.

The union boss wants Fifa to re-examine what it asks of players, warning that athletes are suffering because of expanded World Cup and Club World Cup formats introduced for reasons "which have nothing to do with the good of the game".

Addressing the Fifpro performance summit in London, Molango expressed serious concern over the situation.

"When England see five players who need to withdraw when the single most proud moment a player has is to be called up for the national team, you just ask yourself, what’s wrong about the industry?" Molango said.

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Molango has taken aim at the current football schedule (Getty)

"You see people like Cole Palmer, someone who would have played four consecutive summers in a row had he gone to the World Cup, and you wonder why is he missing?

"He’s missing because he’s a victim of the calendar and that’s something that needs to absolutely trigger the alarm bells.

"For those who think that it’s only a matter in England, then look at (other recent withdrawals from European teams) Kai Havertz, Brian Brobbey and Kylian Mbappe and ask yourself – is that really the football that we want?

"Is it the football where the people who make us dream just cannot perform? For me it’s very worrying.

"What we’ve seen over the last few years is a system that’s sick, that’s ill, because it ultimately revolves around obtaining votes and power consolidation.

"It’s a defeat for football that people like Cole Palmer and Phil Foden miss out on the World Cup. They’re the people that you pay to see. People don’t pay for the journeyman Maheta Molango. People pay to see those type of guys.

"I want to see them perform at their peak and it shouldn’t be the survival of the fittest. Unfortunately, both on the male and female sides, that’s not what we’re seeing."

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Molango feels the current calendar is hurting players like Phil Foden (pictured) and Palmer (Getty)

Besides restructuring the calendar, Molango is advocating for players to receive a three-week summer vacation followed by three weeks of "retraining".

Premier League chief football officer Rebecca Caplehorn maintains that the proposal is currently unfeasible.

"It’s something we’re really supportive of, conceptually, but the challenge is that it just doesn’t fit into the current calendar," Caplehorn said.

"There’s always something that’s preventing us having that six-week gap that we want. Without regulatory change and change to the calendar, it’s not possible for us to deliver that."