One of the world’s foremost sports performance consultants, Allistair McCaw, has expressed concerns that Joe Aribo could face mental and physical exhaustion if he faces another rigorous campaign with such a heavy workload like last season, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Nigerian midfielder made 71 appearances for both club and country across the globe this season more than any other player in the season under review.
Aribo made the most appearance in world football this season featuring 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 14 outings for his country, including at the Africa Cup of Nations in January.
On hearing Aribo had completed 71 games in a season 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.”
McCaw also advised that Aribo be given a longer rest than most of his team-mates ahead of the new season.
“As a top athlete, that schedule must eventually catch up with you and you eventually pay for it,” he continued in an interview with Daily Record.
“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.
“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.”
